Report

The Optimal Size for a Minority

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Rapoport, Hillel
Weiss, Avi

Abstract / Description

We investigate a setting in which members of a population, bifurcated into a majority and a minority, transact with randomly matched partners. All members are uniformly altruistic, and each transaction can be carried out cooperatively or through a market mechanism, with cooperative transactions saving on transaction costs. Externalities are introduced, whereby cooperation by members of one group and the size that group, affect the incentives to cooperate by members of the other group. Under these conditions, we determine the optimal size of the minority from the minority's perspective, and consider the conditions under which such a size might be attained. The model provides insights on social conflicts both between groups and within groups.

Keyword(s)

Altruismus Minderheit Ethnische Gruppe Religiöse Gruppe Gruppengröße soziale Konflikte Altruism minorities ethnic groups religious groups relative group size social conflicts

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2001

Is part of series

Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit/ Institute for the Study of Labor: IZA Discussion Paper Series;284

Citation

  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Rapoport, Hillel
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Weiss, Avi
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2022-11-17T11:01:14Z
  • Made available on
    2008-06-30
  • Made available on
    2015-12-01T10:32:14Z
  • Made available on
    2022-11-17T11:01:14Z
  • Date of first publication
    2001
  • Abstract / Description
    We investigate a setting in which members of a population, bifurcated into a majority and a minority, transact with randomly matched partners. All members are uniformly altruistic, and each transaction can be carried out cooperatively or through a market mechanism, with cooperative transactions saving on transaction costs. Externalities are introduced, whereby cooperation by members of one group and the size that group, affect the incentives to cooperate by members of the other group. Under these conditions, we determine the optimal size of the minority from the minority's perspective, and consider the conditions under which such a size might be attained. The model provides insights on social conflicts both between groups and within groups.
    en
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bsz:291-psydok-16898
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11780/1127
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.8863
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Is part of
    IZA Discussion Paper Series No. 284
  • Is part of series
    Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit/ Institute for the Study of Labor: IZA Discussion Paper Series;284
  • Keyword(s)
    Altruismus
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Minderheit
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Ethnische Gruppe
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Religiöse Gruppe
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Gruppengröße
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    soziale Konflikte
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Altruism
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    minorities
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    ethnic groups
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    religious groups
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    relative group size
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    social conflicts
    en
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    The Optimal Size for a Minority
    en
  • DRO type
    report
  • Visible tag(s)
    PsyDok