What an economics experiment taught me about corruption and human nature

All social games that steal from the collective pie require coordinating with your mates by repeatedly exchanging costly favours. This article is a lesson and a warning.

Every day, we hear details of fraud and scams—whether it is gaming the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the now infamous daycare subsidy frauds in the United States, or “jobs for mates” situations where government boards and agencies are stacked with connected people as a way to siphon money to them.

These are not sideline issues. Dealing wi…