The Effect of Nonbinding Agreements on Cooperation among Forest User Groups in Nepal and Ethiopia
This paper summarizes the results from public goods experiments investigating the effect of nonbinding agreements on cooperation. Unlike previous studies, this experimental study was conducted among members of forest user groups in Ethiopia and Nep...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/06/24683190/effect-nonbinding-agreements-cooperation-among-forest-user-groups-nepal-ethiopia http://hdl.handle.net/10986/22197 |
| Summary: | This paper summarizes the results from
public goods experiments investigating the effect of
nonbinding agreements on cooperation. Unlike previous
studies, this experimental study was conducted among members
of forest user groups in Ethiopia and Nepal with long
histories of social interdependence. These countries are
also characterized by a high degree of collectivism.
Overall, the results show a weak effect of nonbinding
agreements on cooperation in the two locations. The main
reason for this is that the cooperation level is relatively
high even without an agreement and only a small proportion
of subjects change their behavior when the agreement option
is introduced. Nonetheless, the research indicates that the
willingness to enter an agreement varies between subjects
and strongly correlates with their cooperativeness. |
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