Group Size and the Free-Rider Hypothesis: An Examination of New Evidence from Churches

Jody W Lipford

Public Choice, 1995, vol. 83, issue 3-4, 303 pages

Abstract: Conventional economic wisdom maintains that expansion of group size exacerbates group members' free-riding tendencies. Nevertheless, experimental studies attempting to account for the effects of group size on free riding have failed to support a pure 'numbers effect.' This study corroborates these experimental findings by examining contributions of church members from congregations of three prominent U.S. Protestant denominations. As a whole, these results show that, for congregations ranging from seven members to 3,294 members, per member contributions do not decline with increased membership. The free-rider problem does not appear to be exacerbated by increases in group size. Copyright 1995 by Kluwer Academic Publishers

Date: 1995
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