Cooperation in the name of God? Experimental evidence from Ghana and Tanzania

Abstract

How is religion linked to prosocial behavior? Theoretically, religion is expected to increase prosocial behavior toward in-group members: believers are assumed to fear supernatural entities that punish or reward their deeds and therefore behave in a prosocial manner. However, empirical evidence for this relationship remains rare. The paper presents the results from artefactual field experiments that were conducted with 1,249 Christian and Muslim believers in Accra, Ghana, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Applying a prisoner’s dilemma game, following a between-subject design a non-religious control treatment versus two religion treatments were tested: (1) the idea that God punishes bad deeds and (2) the idea that God rewards good deeds . Contrary to expectations, the study finds that religious reminders can even decrease cooperation rates. Thus, reminders of God punishing or rewarding actions on Earth can, under certain conditions, backfire and reduce levels of cooperation.