Segregation and clustering of preferences erode socially beneficial coordination.

ABSTRACT: Polarization on various issues has increased in many Western democracies over the last decades, leading to divergent beliefs, preferences, and behaviors within societies. We develop a model to investigate the effects of polarization on the likelihood that a society will coordinate on a welfare-improving action in a context in which collective benefits are acquired only if enough individuals take that action. We examine the impacts of different manifestations of polarization: heterogeneity of preferences, segregation of the social network, and the interaction between the two. In this context, heterogeneity captures differential perceived benefits from coordinating, which can lead to different intentions and sensitivity regarding the intentions of others. Segregation of the social network ca

SUBMITTER: Vasconcelos VV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8685719 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature