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Confusion and Learning in the Public Goods Game

Author

Listed:
  • Ralph-C Bayer

    (School of Economics, University of Adelaide)

  • Elke Renner

    (University of Nottingham)

  • Rupert Sausgruber

    (University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

We test if confusion and learning could potentially explain all the decay of contributions in the repeated public goods games by implementing a limited information environment to mimic the state of confusion. A comparison shows that the rate of decline is more than twice as high in a standard public goods game. Furthermore, we find that simple learning cannot generate the contribution dynamics, which are commonly attributed to the existence of conditional cooperators. We conclhttps://media.adelaide.edu.au/economics/ic goods games is not a pure artefact of confusion and learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Ralph-C Bayer & Elke Renner & Rupert Sausgruber, 2010. "Confusion and Learning in the Public Goods Game," School of Economics and Public Policy Working Papers 2010-24, University of Adelaide, School of Economics and Public Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:adl:wpaper:2010-24
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    File URL: http://www.economics.adelaide.edu.au/research/papers/doc/wp2010-24.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Claudia Keser & Frans Van Winden, 2000. "Conditional Cooperation and Voluntary Contributions to Public Goods," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 102(1), pages 23-39, March.
    2. Fischbacher, Urs & Gachter, Simon & Fehr, Ernst, 2001. "Are people conditionally cooperative? Evidence from a public goods experiment," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 397-404, June.
    3. Steven D. Levitt & John A. List, 2007. "What Do Laboratory Experiments Measuring Social Preferences Reveal About the Real World?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 21(2), pages 153-174, Spring.
    4. Daniel Houser & Robert Kurzban, 2002. "Revisiting Kindness and Confusion in Public Goods Experiments," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1062-1069, September.
    5. Urs Fischbacher, 2007. "z-Tree: Zurich toolbox for ready-made economic experiments," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 10(2), pages 171-178, June.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    public goods experiments; learning; limited information; confusion; conditional cooperation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C90 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - General
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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