Collective Action , Free-rider Problem , and the Application of Formal Models in Social Sciences

Staring with Olson' s theory of free-rider problem, this article discusses the application of formal models in the studies of collective action, social movements and social sciences in general.The article arguesthat :1)the quality of a formal theory should not be judged by whether it fits with empirical data or with other formal and empirical theories.It is also misleading to explain or predict empirical phenomenon by the results derived from a formal model .2)The quality and importance of a formal theory should be judged by the importance of the problems that the model intends to address and the robustness of the model' s assumptions.Olson' s free-rider problem isimportant because it captures the central activity of human society the pursuing of public goods, and one of the most important variables that determine whether or not a public good will actually be delivered population size.Successful formal models always tend to be formal representations of the wisdom of human society in the forms of proverbs or folk wisdom. However, most scholarsin social sciences do not possess this kind of methodological taste. Therefore, the formal models that they have constructed are often no more than mathematical games.

赵鼎新；

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