Performance of reward, punishment, and communication in common‐pool resource management: Evidence from grassland conservation in China
通过实地实验比较奖励、惩罚和沟通三种策略对草原保护的效果，发现沟通同样有效且成本更低、无副作用，适合用于草原管理。
Abstract Common‐pool resources—such as collectively‐owned grasslands—are often overused and depleted until effective conservation strategies are put into place. We conducted a lab‐in‐the‐field experiment to examine the performance of different management strategies on the sustainability of common‐pool grassland management in China. We designed three experimental interventions—reward, punishment, and communication—to evaluate how to cost‐effectively promote grassland conservation. Results reveal that the communication treatment is as effective as the reward and punishment treatments in promoting grassland conservation. However, unlike the reward treatment, communication does not require external funding or create income inequality among herders, and unlike the punishment treatment, it avoids undesirable impacts such as reducing herders' net payoffs. A mechanism analysis suggests that our communication treatment shifts herders' focus from exploitation to conservation. Our results indicate that incorporating communication interventions into grassland management strategies could improve their overall performance.