The open source model is a form of software development with source code that is typically made available to all interested parties. At the core of this process is a decentralized production process: open source software development is done by a network of unpaid software developers. Using data...

Using a unique data set we empirically examine which factors explain output per contributor in open source projects. We find that the output per contributor of open source programs is much higher when licenses are less restrictive. Further examination suggests that the difference in output per...