Social Dynamics of Cooperation:How Motivational Diversity, Social Contagion, Communication, and Group Formation Shape Blood Donation Behaviour

This dissertation focusses on the question how social mechanisms, such as social contagion, communication, and group formation, affect blood donation behaviour. Blood donations enable transfusions, many routine medical treatments, and the production of plasma-derived medicinal products. At the same time, they are a textbook example of real-world cooperation, where individuals make costly contributions to a public good. In four empirical chapters studying blood donation in the Netherlands and Australia, this thesis shows that a) heterogeneity in blood donor motivation can be mapped into four do... Mehr ...