Diagnosing Social Dilemmas

Abstract

"Prisoner's Dilemma is only one of several possible social dilemmas where individual incentives can lead away from cooperation that would make everyone better off. Two-person two-move (2x2) games provide elementary models of the social dilemmas that have played a central role in thinking about problems of collective action. Diagnosing which kind of social dilemma may be present is important since different incentive structures pose different challenges for collective action and may require different solutions. This paper uses the Robinson-Goforth topology of payoff swaps in 2x2 games to analyze the diversity of social dilemmas; identify key questions that can distinguish between different problems of collective action even in the presence of limited information about outcomes; and discuss implications for diagnosis and potential solutions. A diagnostic flow chart provides key questions for distinguishing between social dilemmas."