Conflict Contagion

How Interdependence Shapes Patterns of Conflict and Cooperation in Polycentric Systems

Bibliographic Data

ID6295513
AuthorsDanielle M Mclaughlin (University of Arizona), Danielle Mclaughlin (0000-0002-2409-1248, University of Arizona, corresponding author), Jack M Mewhirter (University of Cincinnati), Jack Mewhirter (0000-0003-0116-5942, University of Cincinnati), Mark Lubell (0000-0001-5757-7116, University of California, Davis)
Year2022
Volume32
Issue3
Pages543-560
Publication date2022-06-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1053-1858 • E-ISSN: 1477-9803
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/jopart/muab045
OpenAlexW3208175847
LanguageEN
Citations received21
References cited75

In this article, we bridge and extend concepts from behavioral game theory and the Ecology of Games Theory of Polycentricity (EGT) to test possible mechanisms for conflict contagion across the array of actors and policy forums that constitute a polycentric governance system. We argue that actors who experience conflict in one forum will develop similar strategies in other forums, which then impacts the level of conflict exhibited in within-forum interactions. This behavioral spillover of conflict is a different mechanism than conflict that might be experienced when two forums are addressing the same policy issue(s), which may be characterized by higher or lower levels of conflict. We use survey data collected in the Tampa Bay (FL) and California Delta (CA) water governance systems to examine conflict contagion across forums. Using a series of spatial autoregressive models, we find evidence that co-membership networks serve as a conduit for conflict contagion among forums. Our results show that forum deliberations can be strongly impacted by interactions from other institutions and processes. Consistent with the idea of path dependence, “new” forums are not necessarily independent of the forums they replace, but rather, preexisting levels of conflict and cooperation may constrain available outcomes

Corporate governance · Economics · Epistemology · Management · Mechanism (biology · Microeconomics · Political science · Polycentricity · Public relations · Sociology · Spillover effect · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Policy Transfer and Learning · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies

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