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arXiv · 2504.21240

Countering underproduction of peer produced goods

Kaylea Champion·Benjamin Mako Hill
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Abstract

Peer produced goods such as online knowledge bases and free/libre open source software rely on contributors who often choose their tasks regardless of consumer needs. These goods are susceptible to underproduction: when popular goods are relatively low quality. Although underproduction is a common feature of peer production, very little is known about how to counteract it. We use a detailed longitudinal dataset from English Wikipedia to show that more experienced contributors -- including those who contribute without an account -- tend to contribute to underproduced goods. A within-person analysis shows that contributors' efforts shift toward underproduced goods over time. These findings illustrate the value of retaining contributors in peer production, including those contributing without accounts, as a means to counter underproduction.

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Kaylea Champion, Benjamin Mako Hill. 2025-04-30. Countering underproduction of peer produced goods. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241248139

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