This paper presents an experimental study that compares the ability of human groups to escape the tragedy of the commons through institutional change or communication. Teams of five players are placed in a dynamic CPR environment with inefficient institutional settings. The results clearly show...

This paper reconsiders evidence from experimental common pool resource games from the perspective of a model of payoff sampling. Despite being parameter-free, the model is able to replicate some striking features of the data, including single-peaked frequency distributions, the persistent use of...

This paper presents an experimental study on the ability of human groups to escape the tragedy of the commons through institutional change. It shows that the groups identify institutional change as a means of resolving social dilemmas and are ready to apply it even if the change requires an...

Empirical studies of tropical forest hunting have shown the existence of marked spatial gradients of hunting effort, game harvest, and animal abundance, as hunters mostly hunt near villages, roads, and rivers. The mechanisms underlying these patterns have, however, hitherto been poorly known....

We evaluate the effect of information disclosure on players' behaviour in a multi-period common pool resource game experiment run in an area of notably scarce social capital such as the Nairobi slum of Kibera. We document divergence of average withdrawal rates across time with an increasingly...

Intrinsic motivation is shaped by attitudes towards others. In spite of their potential relevance for policy design, identifying individual preference types beyond population distributions remains a challenge. We use data from a common pool resource (CPR) game in the fi eld (935 individuals, 25%...

Based on their finding of a positive and nearly linear relationship between GNP and reductions of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions in the run-up to the Montreal Protocol, Murdoch and Sandler (1997) have argued that the treaty's initial emission targets were consistent with voluntary provision...

Many officials have been considering whether it is possible or desirable to use choice architecture to increase use of environmentally friendly (“green”) products and activities. The right approach could produce significant environmental benefits, including large reductions in greenhouse gas...

Promotion of pro-social behavior in social dilemmas has been subject to an increased interest among social scientists and policy makers due to the relevance of Common Pool Resources (CPR) in long-run human well-being. Although economists know a lot about the effect of incentives on pro-social...