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Centrality and cooperation in networks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2025

Boris van Leeuwen ,
Abhijit Ramalingam Open the ORCID record for Abhijit Ramalingam [Opens in a new window] ,
David Rojo Arjona  and
Arthur Schram
Boris van Leeuwen*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics and CentER, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Abhijit Ramalingam*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, Walker College of Business, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA
David Rojo Arjona*
Affiliation:
Argyros School of Business and Economics, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA
Arthur Schram*
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, EUI (Florence) and CREED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
[email protected]
[email protected]; [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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Abstract

We investigate the effects of centrality on cooperation in groups. Players with centrality keep a group together by having a pivotal position in a network. In some of our experimental treatments, players can vote to exclude others and prevent them from further participation in the group. We find that, in the presence of exclusion, central players contribute significantly less than others, and that this is tolerated by those others. Because of this tolerance, groups with centrality manage to maintain high levels of cooperation.

Keywords

CooperationCentralityPublic goodsNetworks

JEL classification

H41: Public Goods D02: Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact C91: Laboratory, Individual Behavior
Type
Original Paper
Information
Experimental Economics , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , 15 March 2019 , pp. 178 - 196
Copyright
Copyright © 2018 Economic Science Association

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Footnotes

Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10683-018-9592-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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