Work

Growth and inequality in public good provision

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: In a novel experimental design, we study public good games with dynamic interdependencies, where each agent's wealth at the end of period t serves as her endowment in t + 1. In this setting, growth and inequality arise endogenously allowing us to address new questions regarding their interplay and effect on cooperation. We find that amounts contributed are increasing over time even in the absence of punishment possibilities. Variation in wealth is substantial with the richest groups earning more than ten times what the poorest groups earn. Introducing the possibility of punishment does not increase wealth and in some cases even decreases it. In the presence of a punishment option, inequality in early periods is strongly negatively correlated with group income in later periods, highlighting negative interaction effects between endogenous inequality and punishment.

Source: Journal of Public Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2017.03.002

Authors: Simon Gächter, Friederike Mengel, Elias Tsakas, Alexander Vostroknutov

Institutions: University of Nottingham, IZA - Institute of Labor Economics, University of Essex, Maastricht University, University of Trento

Language: English

Topic: Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,510