Economic Theory and Business Management ›› 2024, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (9): 105-122.

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Tournament,Cooperative Strategies and Cooperative Individuals:An Experimental Study Based on Public Goods Game Tournaments

  

  1. 1 School of Economics,Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics;
    2 School of Economics,Renmin University of China
  • Online:2024-11-18 Published:2024-09-16

锦标赛竞争、合作策略与合作个体:基于公共品博弈锦标赛的实验研究

  

  1. 罗俊,浙江财经大学经济学院,浙江省哲学社会科学重点研究基地;张真(通讯作者),中国人民大学经济学院;戴瑞楠,浙江财经大学经济学院。
  • 基金资助:
    本文为国家自然科学基金面上项目(72073117)的阶段性成果。

Abstract: Competition is a key mark of the society,serving to enhance efficiency and allocate resources The tournament,which allocates rewards based on relative ranking,is a typical form of it However,in recent years,the positive effects of competition have often been underestimated,while the negative sides have been overly magnified:under overly singular criteria,participants invest resources potentially leading to resource waste without substantive development;competition may estrange or even conflict Thus,the strategic choices of individuals in a competitive environment are of practical significance
Many literature use simulations to combine games and tournaments to find winning strategies and examine their properties,while corresponding empirical research is relatively scarce Meanwhile,the experimental methods have been applied in other branches of cooperative problems,exploring the prosocial behavior and decisionmaking mechanisms of individuals However,these literatures rarely adopt a strategic perspective and consider the interactive relationships among players
Meanwhile,competitors possess heterogeneity in reality,which affects competitors This paper examines the impact of heterogeneity on individual behavior by altering the earning capacity of individuals in the PGG (Public Goods Game) On the other hand,heterogeneity is also reflected in individual traits This paper identifies the individual traits,enriching the levels of research 
This article uses experimental economics methods to interpret the behavioral dynamics of individuals in PGG tournaments from a strategic perspective The main findings are as follows The competition mechanism has no significant impact on the average level of cooperation and the cumulative payoff The effect of game history is asymmetric Decisions of winners are obviously strategic,only a few of them are noncollaborators,leading to highlevel cooperation within the group and greater benefits from it
The main contribution of this study is:firstly,based on the direct reactions of individuals in experiments,this paper constructs strategies,providing empirical evidence in evolutionary game theory Analyzing cooperation dynamics from a strategic perspective fully considers the interactivity of game participants,which helps to enrich the understanding of individual behaviors and improve the pertinence of incentive design;Secondly,in this article,rather than cooperate or defect,individuals have more game choices and are closer to complex competitive activities in reality;Thirdly,it provides a basis for more effective organization and participation in competition This article reveals that if there is a cooperative scenario,competition can also screen individuals with nonfree riding traits and cooperative strategies


Key words: competition, strategy, heterogeneous subjects, cooperation, public goods games

摘要: 竞争是配置资源的高效方式,如何应对竞争是当下人们关切的重要问题。本文在实验室环境中以公共品博弈为框架,基于个体的合作特质异质性和竞争能力异质性考察了竞争环境下的个体策略,探究了竞争是否能筛选出合作的个体及合作的策略。本文也结合多主体仿真建模,为主要结论提供稳健性。本文发现:博弈历史的作用是非对称的,个体更倾向于受自己过往博弈历史的影响,而非同等程度地受他人历史选择的影响;竞争不显著改变个体的合作水平,但是个体的合作选择在动态中显现出策略性;获胜者多数是非搭便车者,他们通过策略性合作,使小组维持高水平合作,从而获得较高收益。本研究表明,竞争对合作行为的影响并非简单的抑制或促进。在既定评价体系下,如果合作是可行且可能有利的,竞争机制就可以筛选出合作性策略和合作的个体。


关键词: 竞争, 策略, 异质性, 合作, 公共品博弈