Shared identity and personal tie in influencing cooperative behavior

Abstract

In this paper, we present a lab study on cooperative behavior in an economic game setting. We are particularly interested in two important social relations, namely shared identity and social ties, in influencing cooperative behavior, a form of social capital. The study suggests that both shared identity and social tie can lead to cooperation, but in different ways: shared identity will help resource reach wider recipients and social ties can concentrate resource distribution between persons who are connected. This finding has implication for practitioners and action researchers who are interested in community informatics.