Doctoral Dissertation Research: From Consent to Enforceability: The Effects of Form-Adhesive Contracts on Social and Economic Exchange

PI和co-PI：Susan S. Silbey和Zev Eigen马萨诸塞州理工学院题目：从同意到可执行性：格式合同对社会和经济交流的影响日常生活中的法律经验和解释0819397摘要本研究将探讨的经验和解释？粘合剂？合同？例如，许多组织向寻求接受紧急医疗、租车、在线购买大多数东西、使用信用卡或接受工作的个人提供无处不在的精美印刷文件。 实证，本研究解决了以下问题：是什么样的连接，如果有的话，与形式粘合剂协议的经验和个人解释的实际，法律的，社会和道德的可执行性的合同，并暗示，法治之间的方式？ 接触这类协议对个人与要求在这类表格上签字的组织互动的方式有何影响？ 目的是解释不同社会经济地位群体对这些形式和形式的影响的经验如何不同，并确定不同社会经济地位群体对这些协议的行为是否不同。 该项目将涉及一个基于网络的实验中，受试者被随机分配到不同的演示条件？条款和条件？管理他们与研究人员的关系。 使用四种随机选择的提示类型（实际的，法律的，社会或道德）之一，受试者被激发遵守一个特定的条款，他们同意在？条款和条件？ 将观察符合率，以及对照和实验条件下解释可解释性的其他指标。 调查结果将告知政策和发展法律的学说方面的关系，这些无处不在的合同和流行的承诺，法治。 总的来说，该项目将使人们深入了解对法治的支持可能受到削弱或加强的方式。

PI and co-PI: Susan S. Silbey and Zev Eigen Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyTitle: From Consent to Enforceability: The Effects of Form-Adhesive Contracts on Social and Economic Exchange Experiences with and Interpretations of Law in Every Day Life0819397ABSTRACTThis research will examins experiences with and interpretations of ?form-adhesive? contracts?the ubiquitous fine-print documents offered by many organizations on a take-it-or-leave-it basis to individuals seeking to receive emergency medical treatment, rent a car, buy most anything online, use a credit card or accept a job, to name a few examples. Empirical, this research addresses the following questions: What is the connection, if any, between experience with form-adhesive agreements and the way in which individuals interpret the practical, legal, social and moral enforceability of contracts, and by implication, the rule of law? What effects, if any, does exposure to such agreements have on the way in which individuals interact with the organizations that require signatures on such forms? The goal is to explain how the experience with such forms and effects of forms vary across socio-economic status groups and identify whether different socio-economic status groups behave differently with respect to these agreements. The project will involve a web-based experiment in which subjects are randomly assigned into conditions that vary the presentation of the ?Terms & Conditions? governing their relationship with the researchers. Using one of four randomly selected types of prompts (practical, legal, social or moral), subjects are provoked to abide one particular term to which they agreed in the ?Terms & Conditions?. The rate of compliance will be observed as will other measures of interpreted enforceability across the control and experimental conditions. Findings will inform policy and developing legal doctrine with respect to the relationship of these ubiquitous contracts and popular commitments to the rule of law. Broadly, the project will offer insight into the ways in which support for the rule of law may be undermined or enhanced.