Hostname: page-component-7bb8b95d7b-cx56b Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-09-19T02:37:13.017Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Role of Culture in Public Goods and Other Experiments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2011

Sun-Ki Chai
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Dolgorsuren Dorj
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Kyle Hampton
Affiliation:
University of Alaska, Anchorage
Ming Liu
Affiliation:
Nankai University

Extract

Burgeoning literature within the social sciences studies the effects of culture on collective action. In economics, this topic can be found in the rising fields of behavioral economics (Camerer, Loewenstein, and Rabin 2004; Diamond, Vartiainen, and Jahnssonin 2007; Thaler 2007; Wilkinson 2007) and experimental economics (Friedman and Sunder 1994; Friedman 2004; Kagel and Roth 1995), where increasing notice is taken of individuals who do not behave uniformly as self-interested, rational utility maximizers. Instead, altruism (Andreoni and Miller 2008), reciprocity (Fehr and Gachter 2000; Fischbacher and Gachter 2010; Rabin 1993), social welfare maximization (Charness and Rabin 2002), and inequality aversion (Bolton and Ockenfels 2000; Fehr and Schmidt 1999) have been proposed as explanations for behavior in collective action situations.

Type
Symposium
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andreoni, James, and Miller, John H.. 2008. “Analyzing Choice with Revealed Preference: Is Altruism Rational.” In Handbook of Experimental Economics Results, Volume 1, 481487, ed. Plott, Charles R. and Smith, Vernon L.. Amsterdam: North-Holland.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berg, Joyce, Dickhaut, John, and McCabe, Kevin. 1995. “Trust, Reciprocity, and Social History.” Games and Economic Behavior 10, 122–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolton, Gary E., and Ockenfels, Axel. 2000. “A Theory of Equity, Reciprocity, and Competition.” The American Economic Review 90: 166–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Camerer, Collin F., Loewenstein, George, and Rabin, Matthew. 2004. Advances in Behavioral Economics. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki. 1997. “Rational Choice and Culture: Clashing Perspectives or Complementary Modes of Analysis?” In Culture Matters, ed. Ellis, Richard and Thompson, Michael, 4556. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki. 2001. Choosing an Identity—A General Model of Preference and Belief Formation. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki, Dorj, Dolgorsuren, Hampton, Kyle, and Liu, Ming. 2009a. “Grid-Group Cultural Theory and Behavior in Public Goods and Bargaining Experiments.” Working Paper. Honolulu: University of Hawaii.Google Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki, Dorj, Dolgorsuren, Hampton, Kyle, and Liu, Ming. 2009b. “Role-Assignment Algorithm and Behavior in Computer-Mediated Experiments.” Working Paper. Honolulu: University of Hawaii.Google Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki, Dorj, Dolgorsuren, and Sherstyuk, Katerina. 2010. “Cultural Values and Behavior in Dictator, Ultimatum, and Trust Games.” Working Paper. Honolulu: University of Hawaii.Google Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki, Kim, Min-Sun, and Liu, Ming. 2009. “Cultural Comparisons of Beliefs and Values: Applying the Grid-Group Approach to the World Values Survey.” Beliefs and Values 1 (2): 193208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki, and Wildavsky, Aaron. 1994. “Culture, Rationality, and Violence.” In Politics, Policy, and Culture, ed. Coyle, Dennis J. and Ellis, Richard J., 159174. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Reprinted in Aaron Wildavsky, Culture and Social Theory, ed. Sun-Ki Chai and Brendon Swedlow, 281–97, as “Culture, Rationality, and Political Violence.” New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Chai, Sun-Ki, and Wildavsky, Aaron. 1998. “Cultural Change, Party Ideology, and Electoral Outcomes.” In Aaron Wildavsky, Culture and Social Theory, ed. Chai, Sun-Ki and Swedlow, Brendon, 299316. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Charness, Gary, and Rabin, Matthew. 2002. “Understanding Social Preferences with Simple Tests.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 117 (3): 817–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chhokar, Jagdeep S., Brodbeck, Felix C., and House, Robert J.. 2007. Culture and Leadership Across the World: The GLOBE Book of In-Depth Studies of 25 Societies. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chuah, Swee-Hoon, Hoffmann, Robert, Jones, Martin, and Williams, Geoffrey. 2009. “An Economic Anatomy of Culture: Attitudes and Behaviour in Inter- and Intra-national Ultimatum Game Experiments.” Journal of Economic Psychology 30: 732–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Diamond, Peter A., Vartiainen, Hannu, and Jahnssonin, Yrjo. 2007. Behavioral Economics and Its Applications. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Douglas, Mary. 1982, 1989. In the Active Voice. London: Routledge and Keegan Paul.Google Scholar
Douglas, Mary, and Wildavsky, Aaron. 1982. Risk and Culture: An Essay on the Selection of Technical and Environmental Dangers. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Fearon, James D., and Laitin, David D.. 1996. “Explaining Interethnic Cooperation.” The American Political Science Review 90 (4): 715–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fehr, Ernst, Fischbacher, Urs, and Gachter, Simon. 2002. “Strong Reciprocity, Human Cooperation, and the Enforcement of Social Norms.” Human Nature 13: 125.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fehr, Ernst, Fischbacher, Urs, von Rosenbladt, Bernhard, Schupp, Jargen, and Wagner, Gert G.. 2002. “A Nation-Wide Laboratory: Examining Trust and Trustworthiness by Integrating Behavioral Experiments into Representative Surveys.” Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 319, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.Google Scholar
Fehr, Ernst, and Gachter, Simon. 2000. “Cooperation and Punishment in Public Goods Experiments.” American Economic Review 90 (4): 980–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fehr, Ernst, and Schmidt, Klaus M.. 1999. “A Theory of Fairness, Competition, and Cooperation.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 114 (3): 817–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischbacher, Urs. 2007. “z-Tree: Zurich Toolbox for Ready-made Economic Experiments.” Experimental Economics 10: 171–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischbacher, Urs, and Gachter, Simon. 2010. “Social Preferences, Beliefs, and the Dynamics of Free Riding in Public Goods Experiments.” American Economic Review 100: 541–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedman, Daniel. 2004. “Economics Lab: An Intensive Course.” In Experimental Economics, ed. Friedman, Daniel. London: Routledge and Keegan Paul.Google Scholar
Friedman, Daniel, and Sunder, Shyam. 1994. Experimental Methods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gachter, Simon, Herrmann, Benedikt, and Thoni, Christian. 2004. “Trust, Voluntary Cooperation, and Socio-Economic Background: Survey and Experimental Evidence.” Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 55: 505–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glaeser, Edvard L., Laibson, David I., Scheinkman, Jose A., and Soutter, Christine L.. 2000. “Measuring Trust.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 115: 811–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Habyarimana, James, Humphreys, Macartan, Posner, Daniel N., and Weinstein, Jeremy M.. 2007. “Why Does Ethnic Diversity Undermine Public Goods Provision?American Political Science Review 101 (4): 709–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hampden-Turner, Charles, and Trompenaars, Alfons. 1993. The Seven Cultures of Capitalism: Value Systems for Creating Wealth in the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Sweden, and the Netherlands. New York: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Henrich, Joseph, Boyd, Robert, Bowles, Samuel, Camerer, Colin, Fehr, Ernst, Gintis, Herbert. 2004. Foundations of Human Sociality. Oxford.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henrich, Joseph, Boyd, Robert, Bowles, Samuel, Camerer, Colin, Fehr, Ernst, Gintis, Herbert, McElreath, Richard. 2001. “In Search of Homo Economicus: Behavioral Experiments in 15 Small-Scale Societies.” American Economic Review 91 (2): 7378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofstede, Geert. 2003. Culture's Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations across Nations. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
House, Robert, Hanges, Paul J., Javidan, Mansour, and Dorfman, Peter W.. 2004. Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Google Scholar
Kagel, John H., and Roth, Alvin E.. 1995. The Handbook of Experimental Economics, ed. Kagel, John H. and Roth, Alvin E.. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lockhart, Charles, and Coughlin, Richard M.. 1992. “Building Better Comparative Social Theory through Alternative Conceptions of Rationality.” Western Political Quarterly 45 (September): 793809.Google Scholar
Lockhart, Charles, and Coughlin, Richard M.. 1998. “Foreword.” In Aaron Wildavsky, Culture and Social Theory, ed. Chai, Sun-Ki, and Swedlow, Brendon, ix–xxiii. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Ostrom, Elinor. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostrom, Elinor. 2011. “Background on the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework.” Policy Studies Journal 39 (10): 727.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostrom, Vincent, and Ostrom, Elinor. 1997. “Cultures: Frameworks, Theories, and Models.” In Culture Matters, ed. Ellis, Richard and Thompson, Michael, 4556. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Rabin, Matthew. 1993. “Incorporating Fairness into Game Theory and Economics.” American Economic Review 83: 1281–302.Google Scholar
Stock, Ruth. 2004. “Drivers of Team Performance: What Do We Know and What Have We Still to Learn?Schmalenbach Business Review 56 (July): 274306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swedlow, Brendon. 2002. “Toward Cultural Analysis in Policy Analysis: Picking up Where Aaron Wildavsky Left Off.” Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis 4 (3): 267–85.Google Scholar
Swedlow, Brendon. 2006. “Editor's Introduction.” In Aaron Wildavsky, 2006, Cultural Analysis: Politics, Public Law, and Administration, ed. Swedlow, Brendon xi–xli. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers..Google Scholar
Swedlow, Brendon. 2011. “Editor's Introduction: Cultural Theory's Contributions to Political Science.” PS: Political Science & Politics, this issue.Google Scholar
Thaler, Richard H. 2007. Advances in Behavioral Finance. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.Google Scholar
Thompson, Michael, Ellis, Richard J., and Wildavsky, Aaron. 1990. Cultural Theory. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Wildavsky, Aaron. 1991. “Can Norms Rescue Self-Interest or Macro Explanations be Joined to Micro Explanations?Critical Review 5 (3): 301–23. Reprinted in Aaron Wildavsky, 1998, Culture and Social Theory, ed. Sun-Ki Chai and Brendon Swedlow, 259–279. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wildavsky, Aaron. 1994. “Why Self-Interest Means Less Outside of a Social Context: Cultural Contributions to a Theory of Rational Choices.” Journal of Theoretical Politics 6 (2): 131–59. Reprinted in Aaron Wildavsky, 1998, Culture and Social Theory, ed. Sun-Ki Chai and Brendon Swedlow, 231–57. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wildavsky, Aaron. 1998. Culture and Social Theory, ed. Chai, Sun-Ki and Swedlow, Brendon. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, Nick. 2007. An Introduction to Behavioral Economics: A Guide for Students. London: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Wilson, Rick, and Eckel, Catherine C.. 2006. “Judging a Book by Its Cover: Beauty and Expectations in the Trust Game.” Political Research Quarterly 59 (2): 189202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yamagishi, Toshio, Cook, Karen S., and Watabe, Motoki. 1998. “Uncertainty, Trust and Commitment Formation in the United States and Japan.” American Journal of Sociology 104 (1): 165–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar