Fostering Cooperation: The Conflict-Reducing Effects of Intervillage Competition for Government Transfers
研究印度尼西亚村际竞争国家政府转移支付如何减少村内暴力冲突，发现竞争促进参与和合作，尤其在民族分裂和隔离的村庄效果更强。
We examine the effect of intergroup competition on within-group violent conflict in Indonesia. Using a triple-differences design, we find that higher competition for national government transfers between villages reduces within-village conflict. These effects persist regardless of the competition’s outcome, are stronger in ethnically fractionalized and segregated villages, and are accompanied by higher attendance in village meetings. Our results are consistent with external competition favoring participation and cooperation within otherwise divided communities, suggesting that economic incentives to compete with out-groups combined with forms of civic engagement can be important mechanisms to reduce violence within communities.