The Interaction between Prosocial (Giving) Behaviours and Social Cohesion

Lorna Zischka ()
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Lorna Zischka: Department of Economics, University of Reading

No em-dp2016-07, Economics Discussion Papers from Department of Economics, University of Reading

Abstract: A controlled experiment establishes that differences in relational proximity can evoke or suppress a willingness to give to an unrelated cause. Four treatment groups underwent the same set of exercises but two in a closer relational environment and two in a more distant relational environment. Half of the subjects in each relational environment further received an unannounced doubling of pay. On exit, all participants had the option to give to charity. The experiment showed that the charitable giving was driven by relational factors, not by pay. We can learn that pro-social (pro-giving) inclinations interact with the wider social environment, and that these complex relational parameters may be evaluated by easy-to-measure giving patterns.

Keywords: giving; experiment; pro-social; charity; endowment; social capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 45 pages
Date: 2016-07-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-exp and nep-soc
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rdg:emxxdp:em-dp2016-07

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