Co-operation in Social Dilemmas Through Position Uncertainty

A-Tier
Journal: Economic Journal
Year: 2019
Volume: 129
Issue: 621
Pages: 2137-2154

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We present a natural environment that sustains full co-operation in one-shot social dilemmas among a finite number of self-interested agents. Players sequentially decide whether to contribute to a public good. They do not know their position in the sequence, but observe the actions of some predecessors. Since agents realise that their own action may be observed, they have an incentive to contribute in order to induce potential successors to also do so. Full contribution can then emerge in equilibrium. The same environment leads to full co-operation in the prisoners’ dilemma.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:econjl:v:129:y:2019:i:621:p:2137-2154.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25