Understanding the Nature of Cooperation Variability

TY - UNPB

T1 - Understanding the Nature of Cooperation Variability

AU - Fosgaard, Toke Reinholt

AU - Hansen, Lars Gårn

AU - Wengström, Erik Roland

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - We investigate framing effects in a large-scale public good experiment. We measure indicators of explanations previously proposed in the literature, which when combined with the large sample, enable us to estimate a structural model of framing effects. The model captures potential causal effects and the behavioral heterogeneity of cooperation variability. We find that framing only has a small effect on the average level of cooperation but a substantial effect on behavioralheterogeneity and we show that this can be explained almost exclusively by a corresponding change in the heterogeneity of beliefs about other subjects’ behavior. Preferences are on the other hand stable between frames.

AB - We investigate framing effects in a large-scale public good experiment. We measure indicators of explanations previously proposed in the literature, which when combined with the large sample, enable us to estimate a structural model of framing effects. The model captures potential causal effects and the behavioral heterogeneity of cooperation variability. We find that framing only has a small effect on the average level of cooperation but a substantial effect on behavioralheterogeneity and we show that this can be explained almost exclusively by a corresponding change in the heterogeneity of beliefs about other subjects’ behavior. Preferences are on the other hand stable between frames.

M3 - Working paper

T3 - IFRO Working Paper

SP - 1

EP - 22

BT - Understanding the Nature of Cooperation Variability

PB - Department of Food and Resource Economics, University of Copenhagen

CY - Frederiksberg

ER -