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Parochial altruism and the absence of the group size paradox in inter-group conflicts

Author

Listed:
  • Christoph March

    (University of Bamberg, Technische Universität München, and CESifo)

  • Marco Sahm

    (University of Bamberg and CESifo)

Abstract

Experiments on contests between groups typically find that large groups are more likely to win than small groups even if theory predicts otherwise. One explanation in the literature is parochial altruism: altruism towards members of the in-group and hostility towards members of the out-group. We model a mixed contest - a combination of a group contest and an individual contest - in which parochial altruism is predicted to have no impact on the groups` odds. Preliminary experimental evidence suggests that - contrary to theory - the large group is substantially more likely to win the group contest than the small group. Hence, forces beyond parochial altruism counteract the group size paradox. As deviations from theory diminish over time those other forces seem to be transient.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoph March & Marco Sahm, 2021. "Parochial altruism and the absence of the group size paradox in inter-group conflicts," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 41(2), pages 361-373.
  • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-20-00652
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Contest; Rent-seeking; Experiment; Group Size Paradox; Parochial Altruism;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments
    • H4 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods

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