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Are my team members pro-social? Information about social value orientation influences cooperation in public good games

Author

Listed:
  • Cartwright, Edward
  • Chai, Yidan
  • Xue, Lian

Abstract

We explore the effect of information about the pro-sociality of group members on public good contributions. We first provide a theoretical framework, based on psychological game theory, to model the influence of information about pro-sociality on first and second-order beliefs and thereby contributions. We subsequently report the results of three experiments in which we use social value orientation (SVO) as a measure of pro-sociality. We compare: (i) four networks of information: complete, star, pair and empty, and (ii) two information framings: identifying pro-socials versus pro-selfs. Our findings indicate that SVO information significantly boosts contributions, with enhancements ranging from 50% to 70% based on the group’s information structure. Regarding framing effects, we find evidence that emphasizing pro-social traits leads to higher contributions than emphasizing pro-self traits, though this effect emerges primarily after repeated interactions.

Suggested Citation

  • Cartwright, Edward & Chai, Yidan & Xue, Lian, 2026. "Are my team members pro-social? Information about social value orientation influences cooperation in public good games," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:187:y:2026:i:c:s0014292126000772
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2026.105333
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior

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