Psychology

Partner choice and cooperation in social dilemmas can increase resource inequality

M. Stallen, L. L. Snijder, et al.

This experimental study by Mirre Stallen and colleagues explores the intriguing dynamics of partner choice in repeated public goods games. It reveals how this choice impacts cooperation and resource inequality, highlighting a trend where high-endowment, high-productivity individuals tend to cluster together, to the detriment of equity. Discover the fascinating interplay between partner selection and social inequality in this research!

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Abstract

This experimental study examines how partner choice in repeated public goods games affects cooperation and resource inequality. Participants (n=336) in groups of eight were assigned high or low endowments and productivity levels, creating four participant types. In the partner choice condition, participants selected partners; in the assigned partner condition, partners were randomly assigned. Results showed that partner choice led to segregation, with high-endowment, high-productivity individuals primarily interacting with each other, exacerbating existing resource inequality. While partner choice increased overall cooperation, it did so unequally, benefiting the advantaged and disadvantaging the disadvantaged.

Publisher

Nature Communications

Published On

Oct 13, 2023

Authors

Mirre Stallen, Luuk L. Snijder, Jörg Gross, Leon P. Hilbert, Carsten K. W. De Dreu

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