Strong, Bold, and Kind: Self-Control and Cooperation in Social Dilemmas

Kocher, Martin G.; Martinsson, Peter; Myrseth, Kristian Ove R. and Wollbrant, Conny (March 2013): Strong, Bold, and Kind: Self-Control and Cooperation in Social Dilemmas. Working Papers in Economics - University of Gothenburg, 523

Abstract

We develop a model that relates self-control and conflict identification to cooperation patterns in social dilemmas. As predicted, we find in a laboratory public goods experiment a robust association between stronger self-control and higher levels of cooperation. This means that there is evidence for an impulse to be selfish and that cooperative behavior requires self-control effort. Free-riders differ from other contributor types only in their tendency not to have identified a self-control conflict in the first place.

• Item Type: Paper
• Faculties: Economics; Economics > Chairs > Chair of Empirical Economics
• Subjects: 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• JEL Classification: C91, D03, H40
• Language: English