Heterogeneity, Communication, Equity, and Voluntary Contributions to a Public Good
By Stuart Mestelman
Abstract
The results of twenty-four laboratory sessions are evaluated with respect to the role of alternative definitions of equity when communication is introduced into an environment in which voluntary contributions determine the level of public good provision to small groups of individuals and individuals must how they will change their "no communication" levels of contributions. Treatments include the extent to which subject shave information about others' payoffs from (preferences for) public good provision and others' incomes and the distributions of incomes and payoff functions (preferences) of others. The data do not support the emergence of a particular definition of equity across these sessions. This paper is based on collaborative work with Kenneth S. Chan, Rob Moir, and R. Andrew Muller