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Giving to Africa and perceptions of poverty

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  • Etang, Alvin
  • Fielding, David
  • Knowles, Stephen

Abstract

We conduct two simple experiments in which student participants are invited to give some of the money that they have earned to an international development charity for use in one of two African countries. In the between-groups experiment, participants are given the opportunity to donate to one country only. They are matched randomly with a country, and are given information about why that country might be poor; the information varies between the two treatments. In the within-group experiment, participants are given the opportunity to donate to either or both of the countries, and are given all of the information. Analysis of the results indicates that the effect of the difference in experimental design on the decisions made depends partly on observable participant characteristics. The results can be interpreted in terms of a model incorporating self-image.

Suggested Citation

  • Etang, Alvin & Fielding, David & Knowles, Stephen, 2012. "Giving to Africa and perceptions of poverty," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 819-832.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joepsy:v:33:y:2012:i:4:p:819-832
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joep.2012.03.003
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    Cited by:

    1. Stephen Knowles & Maroš Servátka, 2014. "Transaction costs, the Opportunity Cost of Time and Inertia in Charitable Giving:," Working Papers 1401, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2014.
    2. Mortimer, Duncan & Harris, Anthony & Wijnands, Jasper S. & Stevenson, Mark, 2021. "Persistence or reversal? The micro-effects of time-varying financial penalties," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 72-86.
    3. David Fielding & Stephen Knowles, 2015. "Can you spare some change for charity? Experimental evidence on verbal cues and loose change effects in a Dictator Game," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 18(4), pages 718-730, December.
    4. van Rijn, Jordan & Quinones, Esteban J. & Barham, Bradford L., 2017. "An Experimental Test of Gender Differences in Charitable Giving: Empathy Is at the Heart of the Matter," Staff Paper Series 586, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    5. Jeremy Clark & Arlene Garces-Ozanne & Stephen Knowles, 2016. "Dire Straits v The Cure: Emphasising the Problem or the Solution in Charitable Fundraising for International Development," Working Papers 1608, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Oct 2016.
    6. Sudbury, Adrienne W. & Vossler, Christian A., 2022. "Checking out checkout charity: A study of point-of-sale donation campaigns," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 252-270.
    7. Jones, Kristy, 2017. "Government or charity? Preferences for welfare provision by ethnicity," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 72-77.
    8. Umer, Hamza, 2020. "Revisiting generosity in the dictator game: Experimental evidence from Pakistan," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    9. Paul Hansen & Nicole Kergozou & Stephen Knowles & Paul Thorsnes, 2014. "Developing Countries in Need: Which Characteristics Appeal Most to People when Donating Money?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(11), pages 1494-1509, November.
    10. van Rijn, Jordan & Barham, Bradford & Sundaram-Stukel, Reka, 2016. "An Experimental Approach to Comparing Similarity- and Guilt-Based Charitable Appeals," Staff Paper Series 584, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    11. Alvin Etang & David Fielding & Stephen Knowles, 2016. "Who Votes Expressively, And Why? Experimental Evidence," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(2), pages 105-116, April.
    12. van Rijn, Jordan & Barham, Bradford & Sundaram-Stukel, Reka, 2017. "An experimental approach to comparing similarity- and guilt-based charitable appeals," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 25-40.
    13. Herzenstein, Michal & Posavac, Steven S., 2019. "When charity begins at home: How personal financial scarcity drives preference for donating locally at the expense of global concerns," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 123-135.
    14. Jeremy Clark & Arlene Garces-Ozanne & Stephen Knowles, 2018. "Emphasising the Problem or the Solution in Charitable Fundraising for International Development," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(6), pages 1082-1094, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Charitable behavior; Decision making;

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers

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