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Endowment heterogeneity and peer punishment in a public good experiment: Cooperation and normative conflict

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  • Kingsley, David C.

Abstract

The provision of public goods motivates the creation of institutions designed to compel individuals to cooperate. Peer punishment mechanisms have garnered particular attention and suggest that groups are able to self-govern. Research suggests that the effectiveness of peer punishment depends on a group’s capacity to establish and enforce contribution norms. This paper investigates the effectiveness of such institutions when normative conflict makes contribution norms ambiguous. In an interior solution public good experiment, endowment heterogeneity and peer punishment are interacted. Results suggest that peer punishment induces greater contributions when endowments are homogeneous but does not increase contributions when endowments are heterogeneous. Across the payoff equivalent endowment conditions with the opportunity to punish, contributions and earnings are significantly lower when endowments are heterogeneous. This research suggests that the capacity of groups to self-govern is limited when normative conflict makes contribution norms ambiguous.

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  • Kingsley, David C., 2016. "Endowment heterogeneity and peer punishment in a public good experiment: Cooperation and normative conflict," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 49-61.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:49-61
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2015.12.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public good experiment; Cooperation; Normative conflict; Contribution norms; Heterogeneity; Self-governance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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