TY - JOUR
T1 - Cooperation, defection and resistance in Nazi Germany
AU - Geerling, Wayne
AU - Magee, Gary Bryan
AU - Brooks, Robert Darren
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - This article uses the court records of a sample of individuals, aged between 15 and 62, tried for high treason in Nazi Germany to analyze a rare, real-world prisoner s-dilemma-like scenario that resisters faced once taken into custody: keep quiet and protect their collaborators or turn informant in the hope of obtaining leniency? We find that, although self-interest and defection to the authorities was the norm for most, significant rates of cooperation remained. We also find evidence that the size of the stake, age, education, beliefs, affiliations, and sense of community could play roles in facilitating cooperative behavior.
AB - This article uses the court records of a sample of individuals, aged between 15 and 62, tried for high treason in Nazi Germany to analyze a rare, real-world prisoner s-dilemma-like scenario that resisters faced once taken into custody: keep quiet and protect their collaborators or turn informant in the hope of obtaining leniency? We find that, although self-interest and defection to the authorities was the norm for most, significant rates of cooperation remained. We also find evidence that the size of the stake, age, education, beliefs, affiliations, and sense of community could play roles in facilitating cooperative behavior.
U2 - 10.1016/j.eeh.2015.04.002
DO - 10.1016/j.eeh.2015.04.002
M3 - Article
VL - 58
SP - 125
EP - 139
JO - Explorations in Economic History
JF - Explorations in Economic History
SN - 0014-4983
ER -