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Graduated sanctioning, endogenous institutions and sustainable cooperation in common-pool resources: An experimental test

Fijnanda van Klingeren and Vincent Buskens

Rationality and Society, 2024, vol. 36, issue 2, 183-229

Abstract: To encourage long-term cooperation in social dilemmas such as common-pool resources, the importance of sanctioning is often stressed. Elinor Ostrom advocates graduated sanctioning: the severity of a defector’s punishment is dependent on the extent of their history of deviant behaviour. In addition, endogenously chosen sanctioning is argued to induce cooperation due to a higher legitimacy. This study compares the effect of graduated and strict mutual sanctioning on cooperation in common-pool resources at the micro and macro level. In addition, we distinguish whether the type of mutual sanction is exogenously determined or endogenously chosen. A Common-Pool Resource game is used in a laboratory experiment, integrating crucial elements of social structure and rule-making mechanisms within a common. Results support the effectiveness of graduated sanctioning compared to strict sanctioning in the long term and partial support using endogenously chosen sanctioning mechanisms versus imposed sanctioning mechanisms.

Keywords: Collective decision-making; common-pool resource game; commons; graduated sanctioning; sustainable cooperation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:ratsoc:v:36:y:2024:i:2:p:183-229

DOI: 10.1177/10434631231219608

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