Is Altruism Paternalistic?

Fredric Jacobsson, Magnus Johannesson and Lars Borgquist

Economic Journal, 2007, vol. 117, issue 520, 761-781

Abstract: We test if altruism is paternalistic with respect to health. Subjects can donate money or nicotine patches to a smoking diabetes patient whose willingness to pay for nicotine patches is positive but below the market price. In a between-subjects treatment, average donations are 40% greater in the nicotine patches group. When subjects can donate both nicotine patches and money more than 90% of the donations are given in kind rather than cash. These results are also confirmed in three additional stability experiments that vary the framing, use food stamps instead of money, and use exercise instead of nicotine patches. Copyright 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation Royal Economic Society 2007.

Date: 2007
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