The Behavioral Foundations of Rule Compliance under Resource Scarcity: An Experimental Approach to Common-Pool Resource Governance

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dc.contributor.advisorRivera Salazar, Diego
dc.contributor.authorMolina Monje, Alejandra Isabel
dc.coverage.spatialSantiago
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-29T20:13:08Z
dc.date.available2026-04-29T20:13:08Z
dc.date.issued2026
dc.descriptionThesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the academic degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Complexity Sciences
dc.description.abstractScarcity is a central feature of many common pool resource (CPR) systems, yet little is known about how its different forms influence individuals’ willingness to follow collective rules. This thesis examines the behavioral mechanisms that sustain compliance under resource stress, combining controlled laboratory experiments with a field experiment conducted with members of Water User Associations in central Chile. By conceptualizing scarcity as unmet demand, the thesis distinguishes among exogenous scarcity arising from external constraints, endogenous scarcity resulting from others’ overuse, and collective scarcity based on information about system-wide shortfalls. The laboratory study identifies distinct mechanisms for each type of scarcity. Exogenous scarcity reduces compliance by narrowing cognitive focus, while endogenous scarcity activates negative reciprocity that increases rule violations. These processes show how scarcity alters perceptions of fairness, expectations about others’ behavior, and the cognitive foundations of cooperation. The field experiment evaluates whether these mechanisms also operate in real water governance contexts. The results mirror the laboratory findings and show that institutional experience moderates some responses. Water User Association members are more sensitive to collective scarcity cues, reflecting the role of lived experience and social learning. A methodology is also proposed to incorporate these behavioral mechanisms into sociohydrological models. These studies show that scarcity influences behavior in CPR systems in ways that are empirically grounded and highly relevant for environmental governance and socio-hydrology. The findings indicate that compliance depends not only on incentives or enforcement but also on psychological and social responses that evolve over time. Integrating these dynamics into sociohydrological models will improve resilience predictions and support the design of more adaptive water governance institutions under climatic uncertainty.
dc.format.extent130 p.
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.52611/11447/10719
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11447/10719
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversidad del Desarrollo. Facultad de Gobierno
dc.subject060005S
dc.subjectScarcity
dc.subjectCompliance
dc.subjectCommon-pool resources
dc.subjectBehavioral experiments
dc.subjectSocio-hydrology
dc.titleThe Behavioral Foundations of Rule Compliance under Resource Scarcity: An Experimental Approach to Common-Pool Resource Governance
dc.typeThesis
dcterms.accessRightsAcceso abierto

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