# Countering underproduction of peer produced goods

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.21240 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.21240/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 30 Apr 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Impact of AI Search Summaries on Website Traffic: Evidence from Google AI Overviews and Wikipedia](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.18455/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

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.