Wikipedia matters |
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| Authors: | Marit Hinnosaar Toomas Hinnosaar Michael Kummer Olga Slivko |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom;2. University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom;3. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | We document a causal impact of online user-generated information on real-world economic outcomes. In particular, we conduct a randomized field experiment to test whether additional content on Wikipedia pages about cities affects tourists' choices of overnight visits. Our treatment of adding information to Wikipedia increases overnight stays in treated cities compared to nontreated cities. The impact is largely driven by improvements to shorter and relatively incomplete pages on Wikipedia. Our findings highlight the value of digital public goods for informing individual choices. |
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