There are over 9,000 public libraries in the United States servicing more than 1.5 billion people and raising over $11.5 billion dollars in revenue with approximately 8% of this total coming from donations. This paper analyzes the determinants of donations to public libraries testing the...

When the private incentives faced by individuals in a society are not properly aligned with their shared goals, a collective action problem arises. This paper focuses on the free-rider problem of aid, the collective action problem of getting people to contribute privately to charity. It examines...