title: Integrating simultaneous prosocial and antisocial behavior into theories of collective action.
abstract: Trust and cooperation constitute cornerstones of common-pool resource theory, showing that "prosocial" strategies among resource users can overcome collective action problems and lead to sustainable resource governance. Yet, antisocial behavior and especially the coexistence of prosocial and antisocial behaviors have received less attention. We broaden the analysis to include the effects of both "prosocial" and "antisocial" interactions. We do so in the context of marine protected areas (MPAs), the most prominent form of biodiversity conservation intervention worldwide. Our multimethod approach relied on lab-in-the-field economic experiments (n = 127) in two MPA and two non-MPA communities in Baja California, Mexico. In addition, we deployed a standardized fishers' survey (n = 544) to verify the external validity of our findings and expert informant interviews (n = 77) to develop potential explanatory mechanisms. In MPA sites, prosocial and antisocial behavior is significantly higher, and the presence of antisocial behavior does not seem to have a negative effect on prosocial behavior. We suggest that market integration, economic diversification, and strengthened group identity in MPAs are the main potential mechanisms for the simultaneity of prosocial and antisocial behavior we observed. This study constitutes a first step in better understanding the interaction between prosociality and antisociality as related to natural resources governance and conservation science, integrating literatures from social psychology, evolutionary anthropology, behavioral economics, and ecology.
authors.affiliation: Duke Marine Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5321-3654
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Basurto
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Finance, Innsbruck University, Innsbruck, Austria.; The Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47408, USA.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4887-5717
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.affiliation: Duke Marine Lab, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.
authors.forename: Mateja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nenadovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Finance, Innsbruck University, Innsbruck, Austria.; School of Business and Economics, University of Marburg, 35037 Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Vollan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003163:Competitive Behavior; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008386:Marine Biology; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Cooperation; Mexico; anti-social behavior; common-pool resources; conservation science; governance; marine protected areas; small-scale fisheries