Incentives and motivational crowding to address chronic wasting disease: An experiment with Alberta hunters

Abstract

Abstract Behavioral interventions, for example, through the use of incentives and information, are widely used by policymakers to induce welfare‐improving behavior. When these interventions are used in specific contexts such as environmental conservation, individual knowledge, experience, and attitudes can lead to motivational crowding and may limit their efficacy. In this article, we investigate how incentives and information affect the behavior of recreational hunters in Alberta when tasked with curbing the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD), a deadly wildlife disease. Embedded in a framed multiple‐threshold public goods game, we test hunters’ responses to various real‐world policy instruments designed to increase hunting trips. We find that hunters take more trips (increase their contribution to the public good) in response to monetary incentives framed as extra hunting tags but do not respond to direct monetary rewards. These findings advance our knowledge of how incentives can lead to motivational crowding and provide meaningful policy guidance for wildlife management and other environmental programs.