Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
06:48
The HoneyComb Paradigm for Research on Collective Human Behavior
Published on: January 19, 2019
9.9K
Solving the second-order free rider problem in a public goods game: An experiment using a leader support system
Hiroki Ozono1, Nobuhito Jin2, Motoki Watabe3
1Faculty of Law, Economics and Humanities, Kagoshima University, 1-21-30, Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.
Scientific Reports
|December 10, 2016
Summary
Introducing a leader support system enhances cooperation in public goods games (PGG). Leaders who punish both non-cooperators and non-supporters (linkage-type) solve the second-order free rider problem and increase their own profits.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Economics
- Game Theory
- Social Dilemmas
Background:
- Punishing non-cooperators can increase cooperation in public goods games (PGG).
- Second-order free riders, who avoid punishment costs, undermine punishment effectiveness.
- A leader support system is proposed to address this by pooling follower resources for leader-initiated punishment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of a leader support system in promoting cooperation within public goods games.
- To examine the impact of leader punishment strategies on cooperation, follower support, and leader profits.
- To determine if a leader support system can resolve the second-order free rider problem.
Main Methods:
- Experimental economics using a multi-stage game involving PGG, follower support, and leader punishment.
- Comparison between a support-present condition (followers fund leader punishment) and a no-support condition (external funding).
- Analysis of cooperation levels, follower support rates, and leader profits under different leader types (linkage-type vs. others).
Main Results:
- Punishment occurred more frequently when followers supported the leader.
- Linkage-type leaders, who punished both non-cooperators and non-supporters, achieved higher cooperation and follower support.
- Linkage-type leaders also secured higher personal profits by withdrawing more support.
Conclusions:
- A leader support system effectively increases punishment frequency and cooperation in PGG.
- Linkage-type leadership resolves the second-order free rider problem by incentivizing leaders to punish broadly.
- Leaders who implement effective, broad punishment strategies can enhance both group cooperation and their own financial gains.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Social Loafing
39.8K
Another way in which a group presence can affect performance is social loafing—the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Social loafing occurs when our individual performance cannot be evaluated separately from the group. Thus, group performance declines on easy tasks (Karau & Williams, 1993). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. Because each individual’s efforts cannot be evaluated,...
39.8K
01:34Groupthink
50.2K
When in group settings, we are often influenced by the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors around us. Groupthink is another phenomenon of conformity where modification of the opinions of members in a group aligns with what they believe is the group consensus (Janis, 1972). In such situations, the group often takes action that individuals would not perform outside the group setting because groups make more extreme decisions than individuals do. Moreover, groupthink can hinder opposing trains of...
50.2K
01:20Social Foundations of Self II: The Generalized Other
327
According to George Herbert Mead, as children progress beyond the game stage, they develop a more comprehensive understanding of societal rules and norms. This cognitive and social development enables them to internalize the expectations of the broader community, refining their ability to regulate behavior.Consistent participation in organized activities is crucial in helping children recognize that their actions are not isolated but contribute to a more significant, interconnected group...
327
01:04Social Facilitation
36.7K
Not all intergroup interactions lead to negative outcomes. Sometimes, being in a group situation can improve performance. Social facilitation occurs when an individual performs better when an audience is watching than when the individual performs the behavior alone. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled.
36.7K
00:52Social Proof
32.6K
Social proof is a form of persuasion based on comparison and conformity. People compare their behavior and actions to what others are doing and will change to conform to do what their peers do.
32.6K
02:09Bystander Effect
10.4K
The discussion of bullying highlights the problem of witnesses not intervening to help a victim. This is a common occurrence, as the following well-publicized event demonstrates. In 1964, in Queens, New York, a 19-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked by a person with a knife near the back entrance to her apartment building and again in the hallway inside her apartment building. When the attack occurred, she screamed for help numerous times and eventually died from her stab wounds.
10.4K