Expressive Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act

The question of why people follow the law has long been a subject of scholarly consideration. Prevailing accounts of how law changes behavior coalesce around two major themes: legitimacy and deterrence. Advocates of legitimacy argue that law is obeyed when it is created through a legitimate process and its substance comports with community mores. Others emphasize deterrence, particularly those who subscribe to law-and-economics theories.

These scholars argue that law makes certain socially undesirable behaviors more costly, and thus individuals are less likely to undertake them.