Giving and sorting among friends: evidence from a lab-in-the-field experiment

Arbeitspapier | Working paper

Among residents of an informal housing area in Cairo, we examine how dictator giving varies by the social distance between subjects -friend versus stranger- and by the anonymity of the dictator. While giving to strangers is high under anonymity, we find -consistent with Leider et al. (2009)- that (i) a decrease in social distance increases giving, (ii) giving to a stranger and to a friend is positively correlated, and (iii) more altruistic dictators increase their giving less under non-anonymity than less altruistic dictators. However, friends are not alike in their altruistic preferences, suggesting that an individual's intrinsic preferences may not necessarily be shaped by his (or her) peers. Instead, reciprocal motives seem important, indicating that social relationships may be valued differently when individuals are financially dependent on them. (author's abstract)

Object Details

• Extent: Seite(n): 8
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Veröffentlichungsversion; begutachtet

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Discussion Papers / Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, Forschungsschwerpunkt Markt und Entscheidung, Abteilung Verhalten auf Märkten (SP II 2013-207)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Politikwissenschaft ; Soziologie, Anthropologie ; Allgemeine Soziologie, Makrosoziologie, spezielle Theorien und Schulen, Entwicklung und Geschichte der Soziologie ; politische Willensbildung, politische Soziologie, politische Kultur ; Ägypten ; soziale Distanz ; Diktatur ; soziales Netzwerk ; Anonymität ; soziale Beziehungen

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Binzel, Christine ; Fehr, Dietmar
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung gGmbH
• (where): Deutschland, Berlin
• (when): 2013

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/82629
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:27 PM CEST