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Cooperation in a Fragmented Society: Experimental Evidence on Syrian Refugees and Natives in Lebanon

Author

Listed:
  • Michalis Drouvelis

    (University of Birmingham)

  • Bilal Malaeb

    (Institute of Global Affairs, London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Michael Vlassopoulos

    (University of Southampton)

  • Jackline Wahba

    (University of Southampton)

Abstract

Lebanon is the country with the highest density of refugees in the world, raising the question of whether the host and refugee populations can cooperate harmoniously. We conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment in Lebanon studying intra- and inter-group behavior of Syrian refugees and Lebanese nationals in a repeated public goods game without and with punishment. We randomly assign participants to Lebanese-only, Syrian-only, or mixed sessions. We find that randomly formed pairs in homogeneous sessions, on average, contribute and punish significantly more than those in mixed sessions, suggesting in-group cooperation is stronger. These patterns are driven by Lebanese participants. Further analysis indicates that behavior in mixed groups is more strongly conditioned on expectations about the partner’s cooperation than in homogeneous groups.

Suggested Citation

  • Michalis Drouvelis & Bilal Malaeb & Michael Vlassopoulos & Jackline Wahba, 2020. "Cooperation in a Fragmented Society: Experimental Evidence on Syrian Refugees and Natives in Lebanon," Discussion Papers 20-28, Department of Economics, University of Birmingham.
    • Handle: RePEc:bir:birmec:20-28
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    2. Simon Columbus & Lars P. Feld & Matthias Kasper & Matthew D. Rablen, 2023. "Behavioural Responses to Unfair Institutions: Experimental Evidence on Rule Compliance, Norm Polarisation, and Trust," CESifo Working Paper Series 10591, CESifo.
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    4. Kai Barron & Heike Harmgart & Steffen Huck & Sebastian O. Schneider & Matthias Sutter, 2023. "Discrimination, Narratives, and Family History: An Experiment with Jordanian Host and Syrian Refugee Children," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 105(4), pages 1008-1016, July.
    5. Anselm Hager & Justin Mattias Valasek & Justin Mattias Valasek, 2022. "The Impact of Forced Migration on In-Group and Out-Group Social Capital," CESifo Working Paper Series 9636, CESifo.
    6. Hager, Anselm & Valasek, Justin, 2022. "The Impact of Forced Migration on In-Group and Out-Group Social Capital," Discussion Paper Series in Economics 5/2022, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    refugees; public goods game; cooperation; punishment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration

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