Intertemporal Altruism

Arbeitspapier

Standard consumption utility is linked in time to a consumption event, whereas the timing of prosocial utility flows is ambiguous. Prosocial utility may depend on the actual utility consequences for others -- it is consequence-dated -- or it may be related to the act of giving and is thus choice-dated. Even though most prosocial decisions involve intertemporal trade-offs, existing models of other-regarding preferences abstract from the time signature of utility flows, limiting their explanatory scope. Building on a canonical intertemporal choice framework, we characterize the behavioral implications of the time structure of prosocial utility. We conduct a high-stakes donation experiment that allows us to identify non-parametrically and calibrate structurally the different motives from their unique time profiles. We find that the universe of our choice data can only be explained by a combination of choice- and consequence-dated prosocial utility. Both motives are pervasive and negatively correlated at the individual level.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 14059

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual ; Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis ; Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers ; Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: General‡
• Subject: time inconsistency ; altruism ; intertemporal decision-making ; donation

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Chopra, Felix ; Eisenhauer, Philipp ; Falk, Armin ; Graeber, Thomas W
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2021

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/232811
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET