Asymmetrical access to information in social dilemmas with resource uncertainty

Book chapter, 2004

Resource uncertainty or incomplete knowledge about the size of a resource has been found to reduce cooperation in social dilemmas. After a brief review of this research the chapter focuses on how the negative effects of resource uncertainty can be eliminated or reduced. In analyzing the importance of information conveyed by others, emphasis is placed on situations where not all actors have access to the same information regarding resource size (i.e., asymmetric information). Several new experiments conducted by the authors are reported. Real-life examples where asymmetric information plays a crucial role are also analyzed.