The Role of Trust in Voluntary Participation in the Provision of Public Goods: An Experimental Analysis

Year 2025, Volume: 10 Issue: 2, 361 - 384, 28.12.2025

Necmi Ocak , Erdem Seçilmiş

https://doi.org/10.30927/ijpf.1681353

Abstract

Today, instead of public goods provision models based solely on state intervention, alternative approaches based on social participation and voluntarism are gaining importance. In this context, new theoretical frameworks are being developed that prioritise the role of civil society and emphasise the power of interpersonal social relations for the effective and sustainable provision of public goods. It is particularly predicted that trust, which is one of the key components of social capital theory, will strengthen the tendency of civil society to provide public goods on a voluntary basis by fostering collective action. The main objective of this study is to systematically examine the relationship between cooperation behaviour and trust in the context of free-riding problems. An experimental design was prepared by integrating trust and public goods games. The results suggest that trust increases participation in public goods, and participation in public goods also reinforces trust. Based on the data, no unidirectional causality relationship was found between trust and cooperative tendencies.

Keywords

Trust , Public Goods , Voluntary Participation

Kamusal Malların Gönüllü Katılımla Sağlanmasında Güvenin Rolü: Deneysel Bir Analiz

Abstract

Günümüzde yalnızca devlet müdahalesine dayalı kamusal mal sağlama modelleri yerine, toplumsal katılım ve gönüllülük temelli alternatif yaklaşımların önem kazandığı görülmektedir. Bu bağlamda, kamusal malların etkin ve sürdürülebilir biçimde sağlanabilmesi için sivil toplumun rolünü önceleyen ve bireyler arası sosyal ilişkilerin gücüne vurgu yapan yeni kuramsal çerçeveler geliştirilmektedir. Özellikle sosyal sermaye kuramı kapsamında güvenin, kolektif eylemi teşvik ederek gönüllülük esaslı kamusal mal katkılarını artırabileceği öne sürülmektedir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, bedavacılık problemi bağlamında iş birliği davranışı ile güven arasındaki ilişkilerin sistematik bir şekilde incelenmesidir. İlgili çerçevede güven ve kamusal mal oyunlarının eklemlenmesi ile oluşturulmuş deneysel bir tasarım hazırlanmıştır. Uygulama çıktıları güvenin kamusal mal katılımını, kamusal mal katılımının da güveni pekiştirdiğini işaret etmektedir. Veriler ışığında güven ve işbirlikçi eğilim arasındaki tek yönlü bir nedensellik ilişkisine rastlanmamıştır.

Keywords

Güven , Kamusal Mallar , Gönüllü Katılılım

Ethical Statement

Hacettepe Üniversitesi Etik Kurulu'ndan onay alınmış ve ilgili belge sisteme yüklenmiştir.

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