Competition versus cooperation: Some experimental evidence

Claudia Canegallo; Guido Ortona; Stefania Ottone; Ferruccio Ponzano; Francesco Scacciati

doi:10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.045

Competition versus cooperation: Some experimental evidence

Claudia Canegallo
, Guido Ortona
, Stefania Ottone
, Ferruccio Ponzano
, Francesco Scacciati

Department of Law, Political, Social and Economic Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We investigate the effects of competition on subjects' attitude towards cooperation. Three groups face three economic environments with different degrees of competition, from a benchmark case with no competition at all up to a perfect competition case. Subjects contribute generously to a public project in the absence of competition, whereas they contribute very little in the presence of a maximum degree of competition. A diminishing attitude towards cooperation clearly emerges as the degree of competition increases. Therefore, if cooperation does enhance well-being, the maximum degree of competition may be not efficient.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	18-30
Number of pages	13
Journal	Journal of Socio-Economics
Volume	37
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.045
Publication status	Published - Feb 2008

Keywords

Competition
Cooperation
Efficiency
Well-being

Access to Document

10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.045

Cite this

@article{7c4d7f140c754db7ae6f613fa2a40038,

title = "Competition versus cooperation: Some experimental evidence",

abstract = "We investigate the effects of competition on subjects' attitude towards cooperation. Three groups face three economic environments with different degrees of competition, from a benchmark case with no competition at all up to a perfect competition case. Subjects contribute generously to a public project in the absence of competition, whereas they contribute very little in the presence of a maximum degree of competition. A diminishing attitude towards cooperation clearly emerges as the degree of competition increases. Therefore, if cooperation does enhance well-being, the maximum degree of competition may be not efficient.",

keywords = "Competition, Cooperation, Efficiency, Well-being",

author = "Claudia Canegallo and Guido Ortona and Stefania Ottone and Ferruccio Ponzano and Francesco Scacciati",

year = "2008",

month = feb,

doi = "10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.045",

language = "English",

volume = "37",

pages = "18--30",

journal = "Journal of Socio-Economics",

issn = "1053-5357",

publisher = "Elsevier Inc.",

number = "1",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Competition versus cooperation

T2 - Some experimental evidence

AU - Canegallo, Claudia

AU - Ortona, Guido

AU - Ottone, Stefania

AU - Ponzano, Ferruccio

AU - Scacciati, Francesco

PY - 2008/2

Y1 - 2008/2

N2 - We investigate the effects of competition on subjects' attitude towards cooperation. Three groups face three economic environments with different degrees of competition, from a benchmark case with no competition at all up to a perfect competition case. Subjects contribute generously to a public project in the absence of competition, whereas they contribute very little in the presence of a maximum degree of competition. A diminishing attitude towards cooperation clearly emerges as the degree of competition increases. Therefore, if cooperation does enhance well-being, the maximum degree of competition may be not efficient.

AB - We investigate the effects of competition on subjects' attitude towards cooperation. Three groups face three economic environments with different degrees of competition, from a benchmark case with no competition at all up to a perfect competition case. Subjects contribute generously to a public project in the absence of competition, whereas they contribute very little in the presence of a maximum degree of competition. A diminishing attitude towards cooperation clearly emerges as the degree of competition increases. Therefore, if cooperation does enhance well-being, the maximum degree of competition may be not efficient.

KW - Competition

KW - Cooperation

KW - Efficiency

KW - Well-being

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/37749052847

U2 - 10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.045

DO - 10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.045

M3 - Article

SN - 1053-5357

VL - 37

SP - 18

EP - 30

JO - Journal of Socio-Economics

JF - Journal of Socio-Economics

IS - 1

ER -

Competition versus cooperation: Some experimental evidence

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this