Self-Organization for Collective Action: An Experimental Study of Voting on Sanction Regimes

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelfagfællebedømt

Entrusting the power to punish to a central authority is a hallmark of civilization, yet informal or horizontal sanctions have attracted more attention of late. We study experimentally a collective action dilemma and test whether subjects choose a formal sanction scheme that costs less than the surplus it makes possible, as predicted by standard economic theory, or instead opt for the use of informal sanctions (IS) or no sanctions. Our subjects choose, and succeed in using, IS surprisingly often, their voting decisions being responsive to the cost of formal sanctions. Adoption by voting enhances the efficiency of both IS and non-deterrent formal sanctions. Results are qualitatively confirmed under several permutations of the experimental design.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftReview of Economic Studies
Vol/bind81
Udgave nummer1
Sider (fra-til)301-324
Antal sider24
ISSN0034-6527
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2014

ID: 82120154