For love or reward? Characterising preference for giving to parents in an experimental setting

Arbeitspapier

This paper examines the motivation for intergenerational transfers between adult children and their parents, and the nature of preferences for such giving behaviour, in an experimental setting. Participants in our experiment play a series of dictator games with parents and strangers, in which we vary endowments and prices for giving to each recipient. We find that preferences for giving are typically rational. When parents are recipients as opposed to strangers, participants display greater sensitivity to the price of giving, and a higher relative proclivity for giving. Our findings also provide evidence of reciprocal motivations for giving, as players give more to parents who have full information regarding the context in which giving occurs.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IFS Working Papers ; No. W14/13

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual ; Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis ; Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
• Subject: transfer motives ; intergenerational ; dictator games ; lab experiments ; altruism ; reciprocity

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Porter, Maria ; Adams, Abi
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)
• (where): London
• (when): 2014

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.1920/wp.ifs.2014.1413
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/101333
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET