Enforcement of contribution norms in public good games with heterogeneous populations

Arbeitspapier

Economic and social interaction takes place between individuals with heterogeneous characteristics. We investigate experimentally the emergence and informal enforcement of different contribution norms to a public good in homogeneous and different heterogeneous groups. When punishment is not allowed all groups converge towards free-riding. With punishment, contributions increase and differ distinctly across groups and individuals with different induced characteristics. We show econometrically that these differences are not accidentally but enforced by punishment. The enforced contribution norms are related to fairness ideas of equity regarding the contributions but not regarding the earnings. Individuals with different characteristics tacitly agree on the norm to be enforced, even if this leads to large payoff differences. Our results also emphasize the role of details of the environment that may alter focal contribution norms in an important way.

Angaben zum Objekt

• Sprache: Englisch

Verweise und Beziehungen

• Erschienen in: Series: CESifo Working Paper ; No. 2725

Klassifikation und Themen

• Klassifikation: Wirtschaft ; Public Goods ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Group Behavior ; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
• Thema: public good ; heterogeneous groups ; punishment ; cooperation ; social norms ; norm enforcement ; Öffentliches Gut ; Spieltheorie ; Soziale Norm ; Rechtsdurchsetzung ; Trittbrettfahrerverhalten ; Test

Beteiligte, Orts- und Zeitangaben

• Ereignis: Geistige Schöpfung
• (wer): Reuben, Ernesto ; Riedl, Arno
• Ereignis: Veröffentlichung
• (wer): Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo)
• (wo): Munich
• (wann): 2009

Weitere Informationen

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/30511
• Letzte Aktualisierung: 20.09.2024, 08:25 MESZ