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A Natural Disaster Framed Common Pool Resource Game Yields No Framing Effects Among Mongolian Pastoralists

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Abstract

This study used common pool resource experimental economic games to explore the effects of natural disasters on Mongolian pastoralists' common pool resource management. In this game, two anonymous players have access to a hypothetical envelope of money from which they can withdraw funds. Three versions of the game were used: a version in which the amount of money players can withdraw is constant, one where the amount of money could change by chance, and a version where the amount could change because of a hypothetical natural disaster (dzud in Mongolian). The results indicate that framing the game as a natural disaster had no framing effects on players' behavior in two regions of Mongolia: one that is highly susceptible to winter weather disasters and one that is less susceptible. These results suggest that cultural norms and values regarding common pool resource use might prevent over-extraction in rural Mongolia.

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Data Availability

The data sets generated during the current study are available at the following link: [LINK].

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank The Human Generosity Project and Drs. Lee Cronk, Athena Aktipis, and Daniel Sznycer for their advice on methods and data analysis. I would also like to thank Dr. Clifford Montagne, Badamgarav Dovchin, Erdenebadrakh Dovchin, and the BioRegions International 2015 summer field team for their assistance. Finally, I thank the pastoral communities of Tosontsengel and Orkhon, Mongolia, for their hospitality and assistance during data collection.

Funding

This research was supported by funding from the National Science Foundation (Grant Number 1627439), The Fulbright Institute of International Education, and the American Center for Mongolian Studies.

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  1. Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA

    Thomas Conte

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Conte, T. A Natural Disaster Framed Common Pool Resource Game Yields No Framing Effects Among Mongolian Pastoralists. Hum Ecol 50, 259–271 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-021-00287-0

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