Sacred Values and Collective Action Problems

This thesis examines sacred values as a means of resolving collective action problems. Sacred values are a unique kind of moral value that is primarily characterised by an absolute resistance to economic trade-offs, whereas collective action problems are defined by a divergence between individual and collective rationality. By modelling an individual who holds a sacred value judgement as a boundedly rational agent, it is demonstrated how sacred values are able to unilaterally re-align individual and collective rationality, thereby resolving some collective action problems, such as stag hunt scenarios.