Can cooperation be trained? Presenter: Stefan Meyer
Co-authors: Paulo Santos and Feu Yang Abstract
We present experimental evidence of the impact of playing a common property resource (CPR) game on real life cooperation and its economic benefits. The CPR game was framed as a pest management activity, the effectiveness of which depends on the decisions of others. Playing the game increases participation in all collective activities directed at pest control. The economic impact of those activities is important, leading to yield gains of approximately 5% (reflecting losses that are approximately 25% lower than in the control group). Increased cooperation reflects changes in understanding of others’ willingness to cooperate, not changes in understanding underlying technological interdependencies.