In PHILOSOPHY, normative statements makes claims about how things should or ought to be, how to value them, which things are good or bad, and which actions are right or wrong. Normative claims are usually contrasted with positive claims when describing types of theories, beliefs, or propositions. Positive statements are factual statements that attempt to describe reality.
In SOCIAL SCIENCES, the term "normative" has broadly the same meaning as its usage in philosophy, but may also relate, in a sociological context, to the role of cultural 'norms'; the shared values or institutions that structural functionalist regard as constitutive of the social structure and social cohesion.
NORMATIVE ECONOMICS deals with questions of what sort of economic policies should be pursued, in order to achieve desired economic outcomes.
In LAW, as an academic discipline, the term "normative" is used to describe the way something ought to be done according to a value position. As such, normative arguments can be conflicting, insofar as different values can be inconsistent with one another.