Resource changes: exogenous or endogenous,gradual or abrupt. Experimental evidence

The paper reports a laboratory experiment in which groups of participants managed a Common-Pool Resource (CPR). The goal was to observe if different types of resource change, whether exogenous or endogenous, and gradual or sudden, would lead to different behaviour, and if the participants would adapt easily to any one of these changes. The experiment used a time continuous, dynamic tool. Endogenous resource changes, when compared with exogenous changes, led to higher cooperation, and a better management of the resource, thus reducing the risk of extinction through overharvesting. Abrupt changes appear to induce users to modify their behaviour according to what happens to the resource, but gradual changes do not seem to lead to behavioural change. In line with previous research, our results suggest that, when the users are aware of the threat of potential disasters, they can adapt their behaviour and move toward a solution which can avoid the tragedy of the commons.