The effect of kinship on intergenerational cooperation: A lab experiment with three generations

José Alberto Molina, Alfredo Ferrer, José Gimenez-Nadal (), Carlos Gracia-Lazaro, Yamir Moreno and Angel Sanchez
Additional contact information
Alfredo Ferrer: University of Zaragoza
José Gimenez-Nadal: University of Zaragoza
Carlos Gracia-Lazaro: University of Zaragoza
Yamir Moreno: University of Zaragoza
Angel Sanchez: University of Zaragoza
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Jose Ignacio Gimenez-Nadal ()

No 905, Boston College Working Papers in Economics from Boston College Department of Economics

Abstract: In this paper, we analyze how kinship among family members affects intergenerational cooperation in a public good game. 165 individuals from 55 families, comprising three generations (youths, parents, and grandparents), play a public good game in three different treatments: one in which three members of the same family play each other (family), a second with the youth and two non-family members but preserving the previous generational structure (intergenerational), and a third in which three randomly-selected players play each other (random). We find that players contribute more to the public good when they play with other family members, than when they play with non-family members. This effect is present in all three generations, and is independent of the gender of the players. We also observe the significant result that older generations contribute more to the public good, relative to their children.

Keywords: Intergenerational cooperation; Evolutionary game theory; Public Goods game; Kinship; Social networks (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D03 D64 D70 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-03-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp and nep-gth
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Effect of Kinship on Intergenerational Cooperation: A Lab Experiment with Three Generations (2016)
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