Social Background, Cooperative Behavior, and Norm Enforcement

Martin Georg Kocher (), Peter Martinsson and Martine Visser ()
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Martine Visser: School of Economics, University of Cape Town, Postal: Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7700 , Cape Town, South Africa

No 385, Working Papers in Economics from Göteborg University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Studies have shown that there are differences in cooperative behavior across countries. Furthermore, differences in the use and the reaction on the introduction of a norm enforcement mechansism have been documented in cross-cultural studies, recently. We present data which prove that stark differences in both dimensions can exist even within the same town. For this end, a unique data set was created, based on public goods experiments conducted in South Africa. Most of the group differences can, however, be explained by variables accounting for social capital and social environment, such as trust or household violence.

Keywords: Cooperation; public goods; punishment; experiment; social capital; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C91 H41 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-afr, nep-cbe, nep-evo, nep-exp, nep-gth, nep-ltv, nep-pbe and nep-soc
Date: 2009-10-19

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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:gunwpe:0385

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