Rethinking Crowdfunding Platform Design: Mechanisms to Deter Misconduct and Improve Efficiency

Management Science --- Forthcoming

50 Pages Posted: 1 May 2018 Last revised: 5 Mar 2020

See all articles by Elena Belavina

Elena Belavina

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

Simone Marinesi

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Gerry Tsoukalas

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School; Boston University; Luohan Academy

Date Written: July 15, 2019

Abstract

Lacking credible rule enforcement mechanisms to punish misconduct, existing reward-based crowdfunding platforms can leave backers exposed to two risks: entrepreneurs may run away with backers' money (funds misappropriation) and product specifications may be misrepresented (performance opacity). We show that each of these risks can materially impact crowdfunding efficiency, and when jointly present, they interact with each other in ways that can either dampen or, more worryingly, amplify their individual adverse effects. To mitigate these risks, we propose two mechanisms based on deferred payments. The first involves stopping the campaign once the funding goal is reached, and servicing any unmet demand in the aftermarket. The second involves escrowing any funds raised in excess of the goal, as insurance for backers. We show that early stopping dominates escrow and boosts platform revenues. Pairing these deferred-payment designs with (costly) performance verification contingencies can bring additional gains, but doing so can flip their relative performance, with escrow coming out on top. Overall, by accounting for different timing (pre- vs. post-campaign) and enforcement rules (mandatory vs. optional) of the verification contingencies, we analyze a total of ten different designs and show that two of them dominate: the early stopping design, and the escrow design with mandatory ex-post verification. We conclude by providing recommendations for which design works best under different conditions, and exploring the potential of crowdsourced performance checks.

Keywords: Crowdfunding, New Business Models, Online Platforms, Moral Hazard, Entrepreneurship

Suggested Citation

Belavina, Elena and Marinesi, Simone and Tsoukalas, Gerry, Rethinking Crowdfunding Platform Design: Mechanisms to Deter Misconduct and Improve Efficiency (July 15, 2019). Management Science --- Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3093437 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3093437

Elena Belavina

Cornell SC Johnson College of Business ( email )

New York, NY 10044
United States

HOME PAGE: http://belavina.com

Simone Marinesi (Contact Author)

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania ( email )

3641 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States

Gerry Tsoukalas

University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School ( email )

3641 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6365
United States

Boston University ( email )

595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
United States

Luohan Academy ( email )

No. 556, Xixi Road, Z Space
Xihu District
Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310013
China

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