Strategic formation of collaborative networks

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Solimine, Philip, Boosey, Luke
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2021
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author Solimine, Philip
Boosey, Luke
author_facet Solimine, Philip
Boosey, Luke
contents We examine behavior in an experimental collaboration game that incorporates endogenous network formation. The environment is modeled as a generalization of the voluntary contributions mechanism. By varying the information structure in a controlled laboratory experiment, we examine the underlying mechanisms of reciprocity that generate emergent patterns in linking and contribution decisions. Providing players more detailed information about the sharing behavior of others drastically increases efficiency, and positively affects a number of other key outcomes. To understand the driving causes of these changes in behavior we develop and estimate a structural model for actions and small network panels and identify how social preferences affect behavior. We find that the treatment reduces altruism but stimulates reciprocity, helping players coordinate to reach mutually beneficial outcomes. In a set of counterfactual simulations, we show that increasing trust in the community would encourage higher average contributions at the cost of mildly increased free-riding. Increasing overall reciprocity greatly increases collaborative behavior when there is limited information but can backfire in the treatment, suggesting that negative reciprocity and punishment can reduce efficiency. The largest returns would come from an intervention that drives players away from negative and toward positive reciprocity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2109_14204
institution arXiv
publishDate 2021
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Strategic formation of collaborative networks
Solimine, Philip
Boosey, Luke
General Economics
Economics
Social and Information Networks
Computation
We examine behavior in an experimental collaboration game that incorporates endogenous network formation. The environment is modeled as a generalization of the voluntary contributions mechanism. By varying the information structure in a controlled laboratory experiment, we examine the underlying mechanisms of reciprocity that generate emergent patterns in linking and contribution decisions. Providing players more detailed information about the sharing behavior of others drastically increases efficiency, and positively affects a number of other key outcomes. To understand the driving causes of these changes in behavior we develop and estimate a structural model for actions and small network panels and identify how social preferences affect behavior. We find that the treatment reduces altruism but stimulates reciprocity, helping players coordinate to reach mutually beneficial outcomes. In a set of counterfactual simulations, we show that increasing trust in the community would encourage higher average contributions at the cost of mildly increased free-riding. Increasing overall reciprocity greatly increases collaborative behavior when there is limited information but can backfire in the treatment, suggesting that negative reciprocity and punishment can reduce efficiency. The largest returns would come from an intervention that drives players away from negative and toward positive reciprocity.
title Strategic formation of collaborative networks
topic General Economics
Economics
Social and Information Networks
Computation
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.14204