Evidence on need-sensitive giving behavior: An experimental approach to the acknowledgment of needs

Stefan Traub, Manuel Schwaninger, Fabian Paetzel and Sabine Neuhofer

Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), 2023, vol. 105, issue C

Abstract: We utilize a modified dictator game to analyze whether and how information about the need of recipients affects dictator giving behavior. Need information is presented as objective information about the recipients’ living circumstances (income, public transfers, and travel time to the lab) and subjective information about the recipients’ self-assessment of their need (stated need). The results show that information per se does not increase dictator giving. On average, dictator giving is need sensitive and acknowledges if objective and subjective needs complement each other. Classifying dictators according to their conditional transfers yields that 139 of the 246 (57%) dictators are need sensitive.

Keywords: Need-based justice; Giving behavior; Dictator game; Information; Experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C92 D31 D63 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:soceco:v:105:y:2023:i:c:s221480432300054x

DOI: 10.1016/j.socec.2023.102028

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