Democracy, environmental protection, peace—the great issues of our time are collective goods that can only happen if many people make a voluntary contribution. However, the theory of collective action, which has been held for over 50 years, states that there is no incentive for individuals in large groups to participate in the provision of work for public benefit. Frankly speaking, individuals lack motivation because their contributions stand in no relation to the very small influence they can exert. With the largest laboratory experiment in economic research to date, a group of German experimental economists have now shaken this theory to the core and made an astonishing discovery. With considerable implications for the way participation is handled politically, our commitment is by no means only dependent on the influence we have. What is far more important is whether we really know what we are striving for.
Click here for original story, Researchers refute theory of collective (non-)action
Source: Phys.org