The Times They Are a Changin' ― The Effect of Institutional Change on Cooperative Behaviour at 26,000 Ft over Sixty Years

In 2006, Sir Edmund Hillary lambasted the modern climbing fraternity for abandoning other climbers to a slow frozen death on Everest, claiming that in his day they would never leave someone to die. This followed the controversial death of David Sharp, passed by an estimated 40 climbers who were more interested in the summit than the life of a fellow human being. But was this stinging criticism true or just the faded recollections of a former climbing giant? This book investigates that claim through a narrative analysis, which combines the empirical analysis of Hawley and Salisbury's Himalayan Expedition Database with the anecdotal evidence provided by a plethora of newspaper articles and books. While there is evidence supporting the claim that commercialization is to blame for the breakdown of pro-social behaviour, the results cannot conclude if it is the commercial climber or the operator driving the problem and that the Sherpa are the saving grace.

David Savage is interested in the behavioural analysis of the extreme, from natural and man-made disasters (floods and terrorism) to high stress work and play environments (mountaineers to police). David seeks to marry the broader social sciences to the empirical rigor of behavioural economics, focusing on the decision of individuals.

Benno Torgler is Professor at the QUT Business School and Australian Research Council Future Fellow. He is a Fellow of the CESifo Research Network and the Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts. Author of several books and journal articles, Torgler has contributed to various fields within and beyond economics.