‘Altruistic’ and ‘Antisocial’ Punishers Are One and the Same

17 Pages Posted: 24 Jul 2014

See all articles by Kimmo Eriksson

Kimmo Eriksson

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution; Mälardalen University

Daniel Cownden

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution

Michael Ehn

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution

Pontus Strimling

The Institute For Future Studies; Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution

Date Written: July 22, 2014

Abstract

In certain economic experiments, some participants willingly pay a cost to punish peers who contribute too little to the public good. Because such punishment can lead to improved group outcomes, this costly punishment has been conceived of as altruistic. Here we provide evidence that individual variation in the propensity to punish low contributions is unrelated to altruism. First, individual use of punishment was uncorrelated with contribution to the public good, contrary to the hypothesis that punishers are proximally motivated by prosocial preferences. Second, individual use of punishment was positively correlated across situations where the use of punishment is typically group beneficial and situations where the use of punishment is typically group detrimental, as well as across situations of radically different strategic structures. These findings contrast sharply with the premise that the tendency to use punishment can fruitfully be regarded as an adaptation for solving social dilemmas.

Keywords: public goods, costly punishment, cooperation, altruism

JEL Classification: C7, C91

Suggested Citation

Eriksson, Kimmo and Cownden, Daniel and Ehn, Michael and Strimling, Pontus, ‘Altruistic’ and ‘Antisocial’ Punishers Are One and the Same (July 22, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2469806 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2469806

Kimmo Eriksson

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution ( email )

Stockholm, SE-106 91
Sweden

Mälardalen University ( email )

S-721 23 Vasteras
Sweden

Daniel Cownden

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution ( email )

Stockholm
Sweden

Michael Ehn

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution ( email )

Stockholm
Sweden

Pontus Strimling (Contact Author)

The Institute For Future Studies ( email )

Holländargatan
13
Stockholm, *Not Applicable 111 36
Sweden

Stockholm University - Center for the Study of Cultural Evolution ( email )

Stockholm, SE-106 91
Sweden

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