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Sociality as a Natural Mechanism of Public Goods Provision

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  • Elliot T Berkman
  • Evgeniya Lukinova
  • Ivan Menshikov
  • Mikhail Myagkov

Abstract

In the recent literature, several hypotheses have been offered to explain patterns of human behavior in social environments. In particular, these patterns include ‘prosocial’ ones, such as fairness, cooperation, and collective good provision. Psychologists suggest that these prosocial behaviors are driven not by miscalculations, but by salience of social identity, in-group favoritism, emotion, or evolutionary adaptations. This paper imports psychology scholarship into an economic model and results in a sustainable solution to collective action problems without any external enforcement mechanisms. This natural mechanism of public goods provision is created, analyzed, and observed in a controlled laboratory environment using experimental techniques.

Suggested Citation

  • Elliot T Berkman & Evgeniya Lukinova & Ivan Menshikov & Mikhail Myagkov, 2015. "Sociality as a Natural Mechanism of Public Goods Provision," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0119685
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119685
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Brañas-Garza, Pablo & Cabrales, Antonio & Mateu, Guillermo & Sánchez, Angel & Sutan, Angela, 2023. "Social interaction and negotiation outcomes: An experimental approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Ivan S Menshikov & Alexsandr V Shklover & Tatiana S Babkina & Mikhail G Myagkov, 2017. "From rationality to cooperativeness: The totally mixed Nash equilibrium in Markov strategies in the iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(11), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Tatiana Kozitsina & Alexander Chaban & Evgeniya Lukinova & Mikhail Myagkov, 2020. "The effect of monetary incentives on sociality induced cooperation," Papers 2011.07597, arXiv.org.
    4. Tatiana Kozitsina & Anna Mikhaylova & Anna Komkova & Anastasia Peshkovskaya & Anna Sedush & Olga Menshikova & Mikhail Myagkov & Ivan Menshikov, 2020. "Ethnicity and gender influence the decision making in a multinational state: The case of Russia," Papers 2012.01272, arXiv.org.
    5. Lukinova, Evgeniya & Babkina, Tatiana & Sedush, Anna & Menshikov, Ivan & Menshikova, Olga & Myagkov, Mikhail, 2017. "Sociality is Not Lost with Monetary Transactions within Social Groups," MPRA Paper 82800, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Brañas-Garza, Pablo & Cabrales, Antonio & Mateu, Guillermo & Sanchez, Angel & Sutan, Angela, 2018. "Does pre-play social interaction improve negotiation outcomes?," MPRA Paper 90842, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Anastasia Peshkovskaya & Tatiana Babkina & Mikhail Myagkov, 2019. "Gender effects and cooperation in collective action: A laboratory experiment," Rationality and Society, , vol. 31(3), pages 337-353, August.
    8. Anastasia G Peshkovskaya & Tatiana S Babkina & Mikhail G Myagkov & Ivan A Kulikov & Ksenia V Ekshova & Kyle Harriff, 2017. "The socialization effect on decision making in the Prisoner's Dilemma game: An eye-tracking study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, April.
    9. Mikhail Kunavin & Tatiana Kozitsina & Mikhail Myagkov & Irina Kozhevnikova & Mikhail Pankov & Ludmila Sokolova, 2021. "Bioelectrical brain activity can predict prosocial behavior," Papers 2105.14587, arXiv.org.
    10. Kok, Lucille & Oosterbaan, Veerle & Stoker, Hester & Vyrastekova, Jana, 2020. "In-group favouritism and social norms: Public goods experiments in Tanzania," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    11. Babkina, Tatiana & Myagkov, Mikhail & Lukinova, Evgeniya & Peshkovskaya, Anastasiya & Menshikova, Olga & Berkman, Elliot T., 2016. "Choice of the Group Increases Intra-Cooperation," MPRA Paper 77758, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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