Freedom and Equality in a Simulated Commons

A commons dilemma simulation was devised for the laboratory in which subjects in groups of three harvested points from a shared, slowly regenerating resource pool. In a 2 x 2 factorial design, groups were either free or not free to make their own resource consumption choice. In addition, the outcomes of consumption were either made equal or unequal among members within each group. Results showed that although all experimental conditions led to significantly larger harvests in the commons (compared to the control condition), the largest harvest occurred under conditions where both freedom and equality were combined. Postgame questionnaire data suggested that perceived fairness of the game, and desire to play it again, were not associated with large harvests, but rather with perceived control over the game.