Voluntary contributions with risky and uncertain marginal returns: The importance of the minimal value

Arbeitspapier

Previous research indicates that risky and uncertain marginal returns from the public good significantly lower contributions. This paper presents experimental results illustrating that the effects of risk and uncertainty depend on the employed parameterization. Speci?cally, if the value of the marginal per capita return under the worst state of nature allows for some efficiency gains, the presence of risk and uncertainty about the public good's value is not detrimental to cooperation. This ?nding casts doubt on the hypothesis that risk and uncertainty, per se, weaken people's willingness to contribute.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Jena Economic Research Papers ; No. 2009,062

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Noncooperative Games ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Group Behavior ; Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty ; Public Goods
• Subject: Public goods experiments ; Voluntary contributions ; Risk ; Uncertainty ; Öffentliches Gut ; Auktionstheorie ; Unvollkommene Information ; Nichtkooperatives Spiel ; Risikopräferenz ; Test ; Theorie

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Levati, Maria Vittoria ; Morone, Andrea
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Max Planck Institute of Economics
• (where): Jena
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/32568
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET