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Religion, ethnicity and cooperation: An experimental study

Author

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  • Chuah, Swee-Hoon
  • Hoffmann, Robert
  • Ramasamy, Bala
  • Tan, Jonathan H.W.

Abstract

We investigate how cross-cutting ethnic and religious identities as well as the strength of individual religiosity and fundamentalism affect individual cooperation. In a repeated prisoner’s dilemma experiment, information about subjects’ religious and ethnic identities was either revealed or concealed to examine the individual and joint effects of these influences on subject decisions. While subjects’ knowledge of others’ religious and ethnic difference has no net effect on their cooperativeness, the awareness of similarity increases it. Subject religiosity and fundamentalism have no independent effect on cooperation, but they enhance ethnic and religious intergroup effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Chuah, Swee-Hoon & Hoffmann, Robert & Ramasamy, Bala & Tan, Jonathan H.W., 2014. "Religion, ethnicity and cooperation: An experimental study," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 33-43.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:45:y:2014:i:c:p:33-43
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2014.07.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Religion; Intergroup effects; Prisoner’s dilemma; Experiments;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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