@Article{Gurdal2024,
author={G{\"u}rdal, Mehmet Y.
and Torul, Orhan
and Yah{\c{s}}i, Mustafa},
title={The seeds of success: the pivotal role of first round cooperation in public goods games},
journal={Journal of the Economic Science Association},
year={2024},
month={Jun},
day={01},
volume={10},
number={1},
pages={113-135},
abstract={This paper examines cooperation and punishment in a public goods game in Istanbul. Unlike prior within-subject designs, we use a between-subject design with separate no-punishment and punishment conditions. This approach reveals that punishment significantly increases contributions, demonstrating the detrimental effect of having prior experience without sanctions. We highlight two critical factors---heterogeneous initial contributions across groups and how subjects update their contributions based on prior contributions and received punishment. An agent-based model verifies that the interaction between these two factors leads to a strong persistence of contributions over time. Analysis of related data from comparable cities shows similar patterns, suggesting our findings likely generalize if using a between-subject design. We conclude that overlooking within-group heterogeneity biases cross-society comparisons and subsequent policy implications.},
issn={2199-6776},
doi={10.1007/s40881-023-00153-3},
url={https://doi.org/10.1007/s40881-023-00153-3}
}