At the Root of the North-South Cooperation Gap in Italy: Preferences or Beliefs?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bigoni, Maria; Bortolotti, Stefania; Casari, Marco; Gambetta, Diego
• 署名单位: University of Bologna; IZA Institute Labor Economics; Max Planck Society; European University Institute; University of Oxford
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/ecoj.12608
• 发表日期: 2019
• 页码: 1139-1152
• 关键词: conditional cooperation; trust; transmission; RISK

摘要

The sharp gap in development between the North and the South of Italy represents a paradigmatic case of persistent within-country disparities. The evidence suggests that this gap could depend on a difference in the ability to cooperate. We investigate experimentally three possible sources of this difference, and find that Northerners and Southerners share the same pro-social preferences, but differ both in their belief about cooperativeness and in the aversion to social risk, respectively, more pessimistic and stronger among Southerners; intervention or events that reduced pessimistic beliefs should directly boost cooperation.