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The social and ecological determinants of common pool resource sustainability

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  • Kimbrough, Erik O.
  • Vostroknutov, Alexander

Abstract

We study a dynamic common pool resource game in which current resource stock depends on resource extraction in the previous period. Our model shows that for a sufficiently high regrowth rate, there is no commons dilemma: the resource will be preserved indefinitely in equilibrium. Lower growth rates lead to depletion. Laboratory tests of the model indicate that favorable ecological characteristics are necessary but insufficient to encourage effective CPR governance. Before the game, we elicit individual willingness to follow a costly rule. Only the presence of enough rule-followers preserves the resource given favorable ecological conditions.

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  • Kimbrough, Erik O. & Vostroknutov, Alexander, 2015. "The social and ecological determinants of common pool resource sustainability," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 38-53.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeeman:v:72:y:2015:i:c:p:38-53
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2015.04.004
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    3. Libois, François, 2022. "Success and failure of communities managing natural resources: Static and dynamic inefficiencies," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    4. Kwabena A. Owusu & Micaela M. Kulesz & Agostino Merico, 2019. "Extraction Behaviour and Income Inequalities Resulting from a Common Pool Resource Exploitation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-13, January.
    5. Guido, Andrea & Robbett, Andrea & Romaniuc, Rustam, 2019. "Group formation and cooperation in social dilemmas: A survey and meta-analytic evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 192-209.
    6. Gürdal, Mehmet Y. & Torul, Orhan & Vostroknutov, Alexander, 2020. "Norm compliance, enforcement, and the survival of redistributive institutions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 313-326.
    7. Raja Timilsina & Koji Kotani & Yoshio Kamijo, 2016. "Sustainability of common pool resources: A field-experimental approach," Working Papers SDES-2016-6, Kochi University of Technology, School of Economics and Management, revised Apr 2016.
    8. Kimbrough, Erik O. & Vostroknutov, Alexander, 2018. "A portable method of eliciting respect for social norms," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 147-150.
    9. Gbetonmasse B. Somasse & Alexander Smith & Zachary Chapman, 2018. "Characterizing Actions in a Dynamic Common Pool Resource Game," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-13, December.
    10. Fijnanda van Klingeren & Vincent Buskens, 2024. "Graduated sanctioning, endogenous institutions and sustainable cooperation in common-pool resources: An experimental test," Rationality and Society, , vol. 36(2), pages 183-229, May.
    11. Castro-Santa, Juana & Moros, Lina & Exadaktylos, Filippos & Mantilla, César, 2024. "Early climate mitigation as a social dilemma," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 810-824.
    12. Gächter, Simon & Mengel, Friederike & Tsakas, Elias & Vostroknutov, Alexander, 2017. "Growth and inequality in public good provision," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 1-13.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cooperation; Common pool resource game; Rule-following; Experimental economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments
    • C7 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory
    • D7 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making

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