A comparison of punishment rules in repeated public good games : an experimental study

Torsten Decker, Andreas Stiehler, Martin Strobel

In this experimental study we analyse three collective and one individual punishment rule in a public good setting. We show that under all punishment rules cooperation is stronger and more sustainable than reported from settings without punishment. Moreover, we present evidence and explanations for differences between the rules concerning punishment intensity, contribution and profit levels, as well as justice. Finally, we investigate influences crucial to participants' support for a collective rule when the individual rule is the status quo. We show that beside profit differences the degree of consent required by the collective rule is essential for the degree of support by the participants. -- cooperation ; experiment ; public good ; free-riding ; punishment institution

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Year of publication:	2002
Authors:	Decker, Torsten ; Stiehler, Andreas ; Strobel, Martin
Institutions:	Sonderforschungsbereich Quantifikation und Simulation Ökonomischer Prozesse (contributor)
Publisher:	Berlin : Humboldt-Universität
Subject:	Experiment \| Öffentliche Güter \| Public goods \| Theorie \| Theory \| Wiederholte Spiele \| Repeated games \| Trittbrettfahrerverhalten \| Free rider problem \| Strafe \| Punishment