FILE SELECTED // FILE 00
Public-Goods Experiments
“A contribution costs its giver while the resulting pool benefits the group.”
01 / SUMMARY
In short
Public-goods games study contribution and free riding under controlled rules. Results vary with repetition, communication, sanctions, identity, group composition, and payoff design.
03 / SCENE
In the wild
Each participant divides tokens between a private account and a pool that multiplies contributions and pays the whole group.
04 / LIMIT
The limit
The game is not a complete society and one experimental choice is not a fixed personality trait.
FINAL NOTE
What remains
Read the rules first; small institutional changes can alter the behavior observed.