List of Illustrations vii
Acknowledgments ix
Overview 1
Section One: Introduction 9
CHAPTER ONE: Why Do People Cooperate? 11
CHAPTER TWO: Motivational Models 27
Section Two: Empirical Findings 49
CHAPTER THREE: Cooperation with Managerial Authorities in Work Settings 51
CHAPTER FOUR: Cooperation with Legal Authorities in Local Communities 66
CHAPTER FIVE: Cooperation with Political Authorities 81
Section Three: Implications 91
CHAPTER SIX: The Psychology of Cooperation 93
CHAPTER SEVEN: Implications 108
CHAPTER EIGHT: Self-regulation as a General Model 146
Conclusion 167
Notes 169
References 187
Index 209

Any organization's success depends upon the voluntary cooperation of its members. But what motivates people to cooperate? In Why People Cooperate, Tom Tyler challenges the decades-old notion that individuals within groups are primarily motivated by their self-interest. Instead, he demonstrates that human behaviors are influenced by shared attitudes, values, and identities that reflect social connections rather than material interests.
Tyler examines employee cooperation in work organizations, resident cooperation with legal authorities responsible for social order in neighborhoods, and citizen cooperation with governmental authorities in political communities. He demonstrates that the main factors for achieving cooperation are socially driven, rather than instrumentally based on incentives or sanctions. Because of this, social motivations are critical when authorities attempt to secure voluntary cooperation from group members. Tyler also explains that two related aspects of group practices--the use of fair procedures when exercising authority and the belief by group members that authorities are benevolent and sincere--are crucial to the development of the attitudes, values, and identities that underlie cooperation.
With widespread implications for the management of organizations, community regulation, and governance, Why People Cooperate illustrates the vital role that voluntary cooperation plays in the long-standing viability of groups.

Tom R. Tyler is the Macklin Fleming Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology at Yale Law School.