Irregular Audits Boost Cooperation and Public Goods Provision
The article explores how different ways of checking on people's contributions to public goods affect their behavior. When audits are done regularly, people contribute less when audits stop. But when audits are irregular, people keep contributing even after audits stop. Inconsistent audits make it hard for people to learn the real chances of being audited. So, doing irregular audits with higher fines can make people cooperate more efficiently.