Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Research Fund/What Drives Volunteer Engagement at Wikipedia
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Overview
editApplicant(s)
- Stephen Le
Affiliation or grant type
- Individual
Author(s)
- Stephen Le
Wikimedia username(s)
Project title
- What Drives Volunteer Engagement at Wikipedia?
Research proposal
editDescription
editDescription of the proposed project, including aims and approach. Be sure to clearly state the problem, why it is important, why previous approaches (if any) have been insufficient, and your methods to address it.
Altruism is commonly defined as behavior that benefits another organism, not closely related, while being apparently detrimental to the organism performing the behavior (Trivers, 1971). For the past half-century, scientists seeking to elucidate the underlying basis for non-kin altruistic behavior in humans have developed two major approaches: individual-selection approaches such as reciprocal altruism and indirect reciprocity, and group-selection and gene-culture co-evolution. In recent years, a new approach has emerged based on the seminal research of Ostrom on natural resource communities around the world (Ostrom, 1990). Wilson and colleagues (Wilson et al., 2013; Atkins et al., 2019) have adapted Ostrom’s work to argue that group cooperation is enabled by 7 fundamental core design principles:
- Strong group identity and understanding of purpose.
- Fair distribution of costs and benefits.
- Fair and inclusive decision-making.
- Monitoring agreed-upon behaviors.
- Graduated sanctions for misbehaviors.
- Fast and fair conflict resolution.
- Authority to self-govern.
Although plausible and based on extant research in natural resource communities, the core design principles hypothesis has not been tested in a non-natural resource setting. The core design principles could help explain why volunteers volunteer for Wikipedia and could also indicate how best to encourage future volunteerism.
I propose to conduct an online survey of the above 7 core design principles among Wikipedia editors. I would construct a pilot survey using both quantitative Likert-type questions (ex., “How important is it to you that Wikimedia has a strong group identity?” and qualitative open responses (ex., “In your opinion, what are the most important reasons for you to contribute your time and energy to Wikipedia?”, validate the pilot survey among a small group of editors, and then disseminate the survey to a large sample of Wikipedia editors. To maximize participation in the survey, I would offer a small payment to the participants of $25 for approximately 15 minutes of effort. I would then conduct statistical analyses to determine the core design principles that contribute most strongly to Wikipedia volunteerism.
Personnel
editN/A
Budget
editApproximate amount requested in USD.
- 20000
Budget Description
Briefly describe what you expect to spend money on (specific budgets and details are not necessary at this time).
Payment to survey participants: $12,500 (500 participants x $25 each; 15 minutes to complete survey)
Salary for principal researcher: $7,500 for 1 year of research to design study, conduct survey, analyze results, and produce report.
Impact
editAddress the impact and relevance to the Wikimedia projects, including the degree to which the research will address the 2030 Wikimedia Strategic Direction and/or support the work of Wikimedia user groups, affiliates, and developer communities. If your work relates to knowledge gaps, please directly relate it to the knowledge gaps taxonomy.
The core design principles could indicate how best to encourage future volunteerism among Wikimedia contributors. The study will help elucidate the barriers that constrain current contributors from contributing more fully. Knowledge of the factors that encourage or discourage contributors will help create more knowledge equity.
Dissemination
editPlans for dissemination.
I plan to publish the results in an open-access journal, on a freely accessible blog, and in a Wikipedia page on group cooperation, as well as participate in conferences related to Wikimedia.
Past Contributions
editPrior contributions to related academic and/or research projects and/or the Wikimedia and free culture communities. If you do not have prior experience, please explain your planned contributions.
first author of "Societal Trust and Geography" in Cross-Cultural Research, Volume 47, Issue 4
https://doi.org/10.1177/10693971134853
first author of "Evolutionary dynamics of the continuous iterated Prisoner's dilemma" in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, Volume 245, Issue 2
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtbi.2006.09.016
PhD in Anthropology from UCLA
Masters in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University
Currently employed as part-time research consultant in behavioral economics consultancy "BeThink Solutions" in Vancouver, BC, Canada
I agree to license the information I entered in this form excluding the pronouns, countries of residence, and email addresses under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. I understand that the decision to fund this Research Fund application, the application itself along with all the information entered by my in this form excluding the pronouns, country of residences, and email addresses of the personnel will be published on Wikimedia Foundation Funds pages on Meta-Wiki and will be made available to the public in perpetuity. To make the results of your research actionable and reusable by the Wikimedia volunteer communities, affiliates and Foundation, I agree that any output of my research will comply with the WMF Open Access Policy. I also confirm that I have read the privacy statement and agree to abide by the WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
- Yes