ABSTRACT

Numerous online information systems (e.g., question and answer [Q&A] forums, citizen science communities, and review websites) rely heavily on volunteer contributions. Managers have used monetary incentives to induce individuals to increase their contribution level. However, monetary incentives could also generate adverse effects, which could dampen individuals’ intrinsic motivation and lead to lower contribution quality when incentives are small. To address this issue, we propose two intervention strategies, goal-setting and challenge-seeking, and conduct a series of randomized experiments. We find that small monetary incentives, when combined with the appropriate intervention strategies, can motivate users to increase contribution quantity while simultaneously sustaining high quality. Thus, integrating such intervention strategies with small incentives can be a cost-effective way to encourage voluntary contributions. Our research contributes to the literature on incentive provision and provides theoretical and practical implications for platforms relying on voluntary contributions.

摘要

许多在线信息系统（例如，问答[Q＆A]论坛，公民科学社区和评论网站）严重依赖志愿者的贡献。管理人员已使用金钱激励措施来诱使个人提高其贡献水平。但是，货币激励也会产生不利影响，当激励较小时，货币激励会削弱个人的内在动机并导致较低的贡献质量。为了解决这个问题，我们提出了两种干预策略：设定目标和寻求挑战，并进行一系列随机实验。我们发现，少量的金钱激励措施与适当的干预策略相结合，可以激励用户增加贡献量，同时保持较高的质量。因此，将此类干预策略与少量激励措施相结合可以是鼓励自愿捐款的一种经济有效的方式。我们的研究为激励措施提供了文献资料，并为依赖自愿捐款的平台提供了理论和实践意义。