Using player types to understand cooperative behaviour under economic and sociocultural heterogeneity in common-pool resources: Evidence from lab experiments and agent-based models

Abstract

Rising migration numbers and the resulting increase in economic and sociocultural heterogeneity in societies all over the world are theorised to put pressure on the sustainable use of common-pool resources [CPRs]. Increased heterogeneity is argued to decrease trust and diversify interests between resource users, leading to overuse and decline of natural and man-made CPRs. The aim of this paper is to understand cooperative behaviour under economic and sociocultural heterogeneity in CPRs, through the analyses of experimental data including 344 subjects from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, and 144 subjects from India. Multilevel regression, ordinal logistic regression, linear conditional-contribution profiles [LCPs] and agent-based models [ABMs] are used to analyse and replicate experimental outcomes on the micro- and macro-level. Results show that the combination of economic and sociocultural heterogeneity affects cooperation negatively when the decision-situation is perceived as unfair, but that neither economic nor sociocultural heterogeneity on themselves affect cooperation negatively. Economic heterogeneity is even found to affect cooperation positively relative to homogeneity. Player type classification based on LCP scores shows that experimental outcomes can be interpreted with player types, and ABM simulations validate the experimental results by replicating the main outcomes.