Altruistic punishment is often thought to be a major enforcement mechanism of social norms. I present experimental … results from a modified version of the dictator game with third-party punishment, in which third parties can remain ignorant … initial ignorance. Remaining ignorant and choosing not to punish is not inappropriate. As a result, altruistic punishment is …

controlled conditions, we have conducted a public goods experiment with central punishment. The authority is neutral - she does … not benefit from contributions to the public good. Punishment is costly. Along with the punishment decisions the authority … writes justifications for her decisions. In the Baseline, authorities are requested to justify punishment decisions, but the …

) there is preference uncertainty. In a linear public good with punishment meted out by a disinterested participant, I test … two implications of the model: (a) participants increase contributions in reaction to imperfect punishment; (b) imperfect … punishment helps sustain cooperation if participants experience free-riding …

Inequality aversion is a key motive for punishment, with many prominent studies suggesting people use punishment to … reduce or eliminate inequality. Punishment in laboratory games, however, is nearly always designed to promote equality (e ….g., rejections in standard ultimatum games) and the marginal cost of punishment is typically non-trivially positive. As a consequence …

) there is preference uncertainty. In a linear public good with punishment meted out by a disinterested participant, I test … two implications of the model: (a) participants increase contributions in reaction to imperfect punishment; (b) imperfect … punishment helps sustain cooperation if participants experience free-riding. -- deterrence ; public good experiment ; inequity …

This paper provides evidence that free riders are heavily punished even if punishment is costly and does not provide … punished. As a consequence, the existence of an opportunity for costly punishment causes a large increase in cooperation levels … because potential free riders face a credible threat. We show, in particular, that in the presence of a costly punishment …

force of punishment, yet when treated fairly, some subjects (17%) exhibit status-seeking behavior. Moreover, students …

differences in either the amount of contributions or the amount of punishment. Furthermore, effort and windfall subjects make …

This paper provides evidence that free riders are heavily punished even if punishment is costly and does not provide … punished. As a consequence, the existence of an opportunity for costly punishment causes a large increase in cooperation levels … because potential free riders face a credible threat. We show, in particular, that in the presence of a costly punishment …