Greed and fear: Competitive and charitable priming in a threshold volunteer's dilemma
DOI
10.1111/ecin.13117
Abstract
In the “k-volunteer's dilemma” benefit accrues to all members if at least k members volunteer, and receive nothing otherwise. We use experiments to examine (a) volunteering behavior when threshold k increases from 1 to 2, and (b) whether volunteering behavior shifts toward norms associated with one of two primed identities—charitable or competitive. We find that increasing the threshold increases an individual's probability of volunteering, but the likelihood of good provision is lower. Neither priming affects volunteering behavior when k = 1, but competitive priming effectively increases volunteering when k = 2. Both greed and fear of non-provision appear to affect volunteering.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2023
Publisher Statement
© 2022 Western Economic Association International.
Recommended Citation
Mago, S.D. & Pate, J. (2023) Greed and fear: competitive and charitable priming in a threshold volunteer's dilemma. Economic Inquiry, 61(1), 138–161. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.13117