Spontaneous Disorder: Conflict-Kindling Institutions in Virtual Worlds
Journal
Journal of institutional economics
ISSN
1744-1374
ISSN-Digital
1744-1382
Type
forthcoming
Date Issued
2018-10-11
Author(s)
Abstract
This paper analyses the emergence and persistence of disorder due to bellicose (i.e. ‘conflict-kindling’) institutions. It does so relying on a novel empirical approach, examining the predatory and productive interactions of 400,000 users of a virtual world as well as its institutions. The paper finds that while there are many cases of spontaneous order in that virtual world, and while the users are not more conflict-loving as such, bellicose institutions sanctioning suicidal attacks in a supposedly safe region spontaneously emerged and rigidly persist, thus upholding disorder (i.e. a particularly violent kind of ordered anarchy).
Language
English
Publisher
Cambridge Univ. Press
Publisher place
Cambridge
Volume
14
Number
5
Start page
787
End page
809
Subject(s)
Division(s)
Eprints ID
251905