Date: 2018
Type: Article
Group size in social-ecological systems
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018, Vol. 115, No. 11, pp. 2728-2733
CASARI, Marco, TAGLIAPIETRA, Claudio, Group size in social-ecological systems, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018, Vol. 115, No. 11, pp. 2728-2733
- https://hdl.handle.net/1814/59991
Retrieved from Cadmus, EUI Research Repository
Cooperation becomes more difficult as a group becomes larger, but it is unclear where it will break down. Here, we study group size within well-functioning social-ecological systems. We consider centuries-old evidence from hundreds of communities in the Alps that harvested common property resources. Results show that the average group size remained remarkably stable over about six centuries, in contrast to a general increase in the regional population. The population more than doubled, but although single groups experienced fluctuations over time, the average group size remained stable. Ecological factors, such as managing forest instead of pasture land, played a minor role in determining group size. The evidence instead indicates that factors related to social interactions had a significant role in determining group size. We discuss possible interpretations of the findings based on constraints in individual cognition and obstacles in collective decision making.
Additional information:
Published first: 22 February 2018
Cadmus permanent link: https://hdl.handle.net/1814/59991
Full-text via DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1713496115
ISSN: 0027-8424
External link: https://www.pnas.org/content/115/11/2728
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Keyword(s): Cooperation Group size Common property resources Transaction costs Social brain hypothesis Collective action Property-rights Commons Institutions Alps Management Governance Centuries Evolution Behavior
Sponsorship and Funder information:
University of Bologna
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