Three essays on social norms

This thesis comprises three papers that examine social norms and their effect on behaviour. The papers use surveys and experiments to examine this topic. The first paper uses survey data to show that a societies surrounding ecology is an important determinant of the prevalence of female land inheritance. The second paper demonstrates through a field experiment in India that males act out against female leaders, especially when female leaders are in place as a result of a quota. The final paper demonstrates through a laboratory experiment that trust in high status leaders is an important factor in the decision to follow them.