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

PI和共同PI：Susan S.Silbey和Zev Eigen麻省理工学院标题：从同意到可执行性：形式粘合合同对社会和经济交流的影响日常生活中对法律的体验和解释本研究将考察形式粘合合同的经验和解释？形式粘合？合同？许多组织以接受或放弃的方式，向寻求接受紧急医疗、租车、在网上购买几乎任何东西、使用信用卡或接受工作的个人提供的无处不在的小字文件，仅举几例。通过实证研究，这项研究解决了以下问题：形式粘性协议的经验与个人解释合同的实际、法律、社会和道德可执行性的方式之间，以及隐含的法治之间有什么联系？接触这类协议对个人与需要在这类表格上签字的组织互动的方式有什么影响？目的是解释不同社会经济地位群体对这种形式的经验和影响是如何不同的，并确定不同的社会经济地位群体在这些协定方面是否有不同的行为。该项目将包括一个基于网络的实验，在这个实验中，受试者被随机分配到不同的条件下，这些条件和条款的呈现方式不同。管理他们与研究人员的关系。使用四种随机选择的提示(实际提示、法律提示、社会提示或道德提示)中的一种，要求受试者遵守他们在条款和条件中同意的一个特定术语。将观察符合率，以及控制和实验条件下解释可执行性的其他衡量标准。调查结果将为有关这些无处不在的合同和民众对法治的承诺之间的关系的政策和制定法律理论提供参考。总的来说，该项目将使人们深入了解可能削弱或加强对法治的支持的方式。

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.