Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/32568
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
Jena Economic Research Papers No. 2009,062
Publisher: 
Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Max Planck Institute of Economics, Jena
Abstract: 
Previous research indicates that risky and uncertain marginal returns from the public good significantly lower contributions. This paper presents experimental results illustrating that the effects of risk and uncertainty depend on the employed parameterization. Speci?cally, if the value of the marginal per capita return under the worst state of nature allows for some efficiency gains, the presence of risk and uncertainty about the public good's value is not detrimental to cooperation. This ?nding casts doubt on the hypothesis that risk and uncertainty, per se, weaken people's willingness to contribute.
Subjects: 
Public goods experiments
Voluntary contributions
Risk
Uncertainty
JEL: 
C72
C92
D81
H41
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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