Institutions, Communication, and Identity: Experiments in Cooperation, Coordination, and Compliance

This dissertation is a collection of three essays focusing on the influence of institutions (i.e., rules of the game) and social interactions on behavior in group settings. Using an experimental methodology, each essay addresses a distinct but related aspect of behavior in groups. The first chapter investigates cooperation under endogenously chosen institutions by comparing cooperative behavior when the rules are chosen by group members (direct democracy) versus by an elected representative (indirect democracy). The second chapter examines the role of third-party communication in conflict resolution. The third chapter studies how rule compliance is affected by the identity of the rule-setter. Together, these three chapters offer new insights into how cooperation, coordination, and compliance are shaped in group contexts.