Explaining human cooperation in large groups of non-kin is a major challenge to both rational choice theory and the theory of evolution. Recent research suggests that group cooperation can be explained by positing that cooperators can punish non-cooperators or cheaters. The experimental evidence...

We experimentally test the social motives behind individual participation in intergroup conflict by manipulating the framing and symmetry of conflict. We find that behavior in conflict depends on whether one is harmed by actions perpetrated by the out-group, but not on one’s own influence on...

Theoretical background / Presenting problem Humans are an exceptionally cooperative species. We cooperate in large groups which extend beyond the boundaries of genetic kinship even when reputational gains are unlikely or impossible. These cooperative tendencies are essential for completing tasks...

Cooperation problems are at the heart of many everyday situations. In this paper, we propose a very simple and light-handed mechanism to sustain cooperation and test its performance in a rich laboratory environment. The mechanism moderates cooperation by controlling experiences, more...

Cooperation problems are at the heart of many everyday situations. In this paper, we propose a very simple and light-handed mechanism to sustain cooperation and test its performance in a rich laboratory environment. The mechanism moderates cooperation by controlling experiences, more...

In four independent Chapters, I examine how norms guide our behavior in an uncertain world. Methodologically, I apply the toolbox of experimental economics to research questions that are on the interface between economics and law (especially Chapter 1 and Chapter 2), sociology (especially...