Cooperating over losses and competing over gains: A social dilemma experiment

Arbeitspapier

Evidence from studies in international relations, the politics of reform, collective action and price competition suggests that economic agents in social dilemma situations cooperate more to avoid losses than in the pursuit of gains. To test whether the prospect of losses can induce cooperation, we let experimental subjects play the traveler's dilemma in the gain and loss domain. Subjects cooperate substantially more over losses. Our experimental design allows us to show that this treatment effect is best explained by reference-dependent risk preferences and referencedependent strategic sophistication. We discuss policy implications and relate our findings to other experimental games played in the loss domain.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: Munich Discussion Paper ; No. 2016-2

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: General ; Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles ; Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
• Thema: cooperation ; traveler's dilemma ; social dilemma ; loss domain ; diminishing sensitivity ; cognitive hierarchy

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Ispano, Alessandro ; Schwardmann, Peter
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Volkswirtschaftliche Fakultät
• (wo): München
• (wann): 2016

Weitere Informationen

• DOI: doi:10.5282/ubm/epub.27576
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/144886
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-27576-4
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ