The Good of Rules: A pilot study on prosocial behavior

Maurizio Caserta, Rosaria Distefano, Livio Ferrante and Francesco Reito

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 2023, vol. 107, issue C

Abstract: In everyday life, individuals interact with relatives, friends, and colleagues, share ideas and passions, and cooperate with others to pursue common goals. Within each social domain, individuals recognize themselves as group members with rights and duties to observe. Encouraging mutually beneficial cooperation and promoting fairness perceptions are crucial for sustainable economic and societal development. This paper presents a pilot experiment named Good of Rules, an educational program for 11-year-old children from South Italy. The program introduces participants to institutions, legality, and social cohesion. Among other didactic activities, it includes two field trips to symbolic places and a role-playing game. The results suggest that the program attendance positively affects cooperation in a one-shot N-player Prisoner's Dilemma and altruism in a Dictator Game. Our findings contribute to the nature-nurture debate, showing that learning the benefits associated with prosocial behavior can be effective in pursuing the common good.

Keywords: Altruism; Cooperation; Dictator Game; Experimental game theory; Prisoner's Dilemma (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C93 I20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:soceco:v:107:y:2023:i:c:s2214804323001118

DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2023.102085

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