Laboratory Experimental Evidences on Public Cooperation of Chaoshan Culture and Hakka Culture

Focusing on Chaoshan and Hakka culture in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and using public goods experiments, this paper studied voluntary contributions on public goods experiments and mechanisms for coordinating public cooperation. Experimental results showed that Hakka subjects preferred more cooperation than Chaoshan subjects in the baseline experiments. However, there was no significant difference between the beliefs of Hakka and Chaoshan subjects. Both mechanisms of information disclosure and free choice of partner’s culture improved voluntary contributions of Hakka and Chaoshan subjects, changed the relationships between beliefs and public cooperation, and had different significant impacts on the voluntary contributions of individuals or different formations of these two cultures. Hakka and Chaoshan subjects both preferred to choose Chaoshan subjects as their partners. Such a paradox of choice, which was contrary to the social identity theory and logical reasoning, reflected the common rational thinking logic on the one hand, and were related to the personalities and voluntary contribution characteristics of these two cultures on the other hand.