| Norm Level | Where Operate? | Claims On? | Examples |
| First-Order Norms | Sectoral level; technical questions | Sectoral experts and organization actors; single ministry | Workplace safety norms; recycling target levels |
| Second-Order Norms | Across sectors and even domestic polity; political questions | Cross-sectoral actors and roles; multiple ministries and political actors | New regulatory styles; environmental protection norms |
| Third-Order Norms | Across society; deeply held 'value' questions | Most of society, at least political elite | Civil liberties or human rights norms, equality on the basis of gender and race |
