Social Preferences, Beliefs, and the Dynamics of Free Riding in Public Goods Experiments

摘要

In this paper we investigate the role of social preferences and beliefs for voluntary cooperation. Numerous public goods experiments have shown that many people contribute more to the public good than pure self-interest can easily explain. An equally important observation, however, is that free riding increases in repeatedly played public goods experiments across various parameters and participant pools. The facts are clear, but their explanation is not.