Giving To Ingrates?

Michael Jones and Michael McKee

No 08-06, Working Papers from Department of Economics, Appalachian State University

Abstract: Models for voluntary provision of public goods predict free riding is rational unless the model includes a motive for the act of giving referred to as a “warm glow” in the literature. The source for this warm glow is likely to include the gratitude of the recipient. The experimental setting employed here controls for positive or negative reciprocity from the recipient of a gift to isolate the individual satisfaction from the act of giving as the remaining motivation for giving. The experimental treatment is whether the recipient is informed that his/her payoff includes a “gift” from another participant (donor or giver). The central finding is that donations increase when the donor/giver knows that the recipient knows that a gift has been provided. Key Words:

New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-exp and nep-pbe
Date: Written 2008
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