Cavusoglu, Huseyin, Zhuolun Li, and Seung Hyun Kim. "How do virtual badges incentivize voluntary contributions to online communities?." Information & Management 58.5 (2021): 103483.

This study investigates how earned and pursued badges impact user contributions within the Stack Overflow question and answer community. It finds that badges at different levels (gold, silver, bronze) significantly influence users' motivation to increase their answering activity, with gold badges having the most substantial effect. The research also highlights positive spillovers, where higher-level badges boost the impact of lower-level ones, offering valuable insights for enhancing participation in online communities.