The effect of conflict history on cooperation within and between groups: Evidence from a laboratory experiment

Gonne Beekman, Stephen Cheung and Ian Levely

Journal of Economic Psychology, 2017, vol. 63, issue C, 168-183

Abstract: We study cooperation within and between groups in the laboratory, comparing treatments in which two groups have previously been in conflict with one another, in conflict with a different group, or not previously exposed to conflict. We model conflict using an inter-group Tullock contest, and measure its effects upon cooperation using a multi-level public good game. We find that conflict increases cooperation within groups, while decreasing cooperation between groups. Moreover, we find that an increase in the gains from cooperation only increases cooperation between groups when the two groups have not previously interacted.

Keywords: Within- and between-group cooperation; Inter-group conflict; Group identity; Multi-level public good experiment; Tullock contest (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C92 D64 D74 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Effect of Conflict History on Cooperation Within and Between Groups: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment (2015)
Working Paper: The Effect of Conflict History on Cooperation Within and Between Groups: Evidence from a Laboratory Experiment (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:63:y:2017:i:c:p:168-183

DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2017.02.004

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