CeDEx workshop - Lu Dong (University of Nottingham)

An experimental investigation of how to overcome coordination failure in the minimum effort game

Abstract: I’ll present the design for an experiment that aims at investigating how to overcome coordination failure. The game I’m focused on has a weak-link structure, where the provision of public goods depend on the minimum effort. Laboratory evidence suggest that coordination failure is pervasive and irreversible in this game. The design focus on how leadership would help to restore coordination when coordination failure has occurred. Specifically, whether a first-mover leader or a cheap-talk leader would help to rebuild coordination.