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Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks

Yann Bramoullé, Renaud Bourlès () and Eduardo Perez

SciencePo Working papers Main from HAL

Abstract: We provide the first analysis of the risk-sharing implications of altruism networks. Agents are embedded in a fixed network and care about each other. We explore whether altruistic transfers help smooth consumption and how this depends on the shape of the network. We find that altruism networks have a first-order impact on risk. Altruistic transfers generate efficient insurance when the network of perfect altruistic ties is strongly connected. We uncover two specific empirical implications of altruism networks. First, bridges can generate good overall risk sharing, and, more generally, the quality of informal insurance depends on the average path length of the network. Second, large shocks are well-insured by connected altruism networks. By contrast, large shocks tend to be badly insured in models of informal insurance with frictions. We characterize what happens for shocks that leave the structure of giving relationships unchanged. We further explore the relationship between consumption variance and centrality, correlation in consumption streams across agents, and the impact of adding links.

Keywords: Altruism; Networks; Risk Sharing; Informal Insurance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gth, nep-net, nep-rmg and nep-ure
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://amu.hal.science/hal-02563135
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Journal of the European Economic Association, 2021, 19 (3), pp.1488-1521. ⟨10.1093/jeea/jvaa031⟩

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Related works:
Journal Article: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2021) Downloads
Working Paper: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2021) Downloads
Working Paper: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2018) Downloads
Working Paper: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2018) Downloads
Working Paper: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2018) Downloads
Working Paper: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2018) Downloads
Working Paper: Altruism and Risk Sharing in Networks (2018) Downloads
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-02563135

DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvaa031

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