The behavioral validity of the strategy method in public good experiments

Urs Fischbacher and Simon Gaechter ()
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Simon Gaechter: University of Nottingham
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Simon Gächter

No 2009-25, Discussion Papers from The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham

Abstract: We compare the strategy method and the direct response method in public good experiments in a within-subject design. This comparison is interesting because the strategy method is frequently used to investigate preference heterogeneity. We find that people identified by the strategy method as conditional cooperators also behave as conditional cooperators under the direct response method. Free-rider types contribute systematically less than all others but show the most systematic deviation from the predicted contributions, because they contribute in the first half of the direct response experiment. Overall, our results support the behavioral validity of the strategy method in public good experiments.

Keywords: Public goods experiments; strategy method; direct response method; voluntary cooperation; conditional cooperators; free riders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C72 C91 D64 H41 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-12
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Journal Article: The behavioral validity of the strategy method in public good experiments (2012)
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