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Who Is the Identifiable Victim? Caste and Charitable Giving in Modern India

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  • Ashwini Deshpande
  • Dean Spears

Abstract

Economists are increasingly studying the market for charitable giving, including behavioral aspects. In the "identifiable victim effect" people donate more to help identified individuals than groups. However, individuals from socially low-ranking groups may not prompt similar charity. The continuing depth of caste-based prejudice in contemporary India is widely debated. We report three randomized experiments conducted with computer-using Indian participants. First, we conducted a survey experiment with detailed information about participants. Second, we experimentally varied 56,000 real advertisements for charitable donations shown online. Third, we conducted an Internet choice experiment in which participants allocated real money. In all three studies an identification treatment is crossed with population group membership of the recipient. We indicate population group membership of identified recipients subtly, using names that connote caste; participants' understanding of these names is verified with a separate experimental sample. In all studies, we find an identifiable victim effect for generic Indian and high-caste recipients, which is absent or even reversed for low-caste recipients. Caste still matters among the Internet-using, English-speaking population of our participants.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashwini Deshpande & Dean Spears, 2016. "Who Is the Identifiable Victim? Caste and Charitable Giving in Modern India," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64(2), pages 299-321.
  • Handle: RePEc:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/684000
    DOI: 10.1086/684000
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    1. Marianne Bertrand & Sendhil Mullainathan, 2004. "Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(4), pages 991-1013, September.
    2. Karlan, Dean & List, John A. & Shafir, Eldar, 2011. "Small matches and charitable giving: Evidence from a natural field experiment," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(5), pages 344-350.
    3. Deshpande, Ashwani, 2011. "The Grammar of Caste: Economic Discrimination in Contemporary India," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198072034.
    4. Siddique, Zahra, 2011. "Evidence on Caste Based Discrimination," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(S1), pages 146-159.
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    Cited by:

    1. Arvid Erlandsson, 2021. "Seven (weak and strong) helping effects systematically tested in separate evaluation, joint evaluation and forced choice," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 16(5), pages 1113-1154, September.
    2. Mosse, David, 2018. "Caste and development: Contemporary perspectives on a structure of discrimination and advantage," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 422-436.
    3. Prerna Singh & Dean Spears, 2017. "How status inequality between ethnic groups affects public goods provision: Experimental evidence on caste and tolerance for teacher absenteeism in India," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-129, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Aashish Gupta & Diane Coffey, 2020. "Caste, Religion, and Mental Health in India," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(6), pages 1119-1141, December.
    5. Prerna Singh & Dean Spears, 2017. "How status inequality between ethnic groups affects public goods provision: Experimental evidence on caste and tolerance for teacher absenteeism in India," WIDER Working Paper Series 129, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    6. repec:cup:judgdm:v:16:y:2021:i:5:p:1113-1154 is not listed on IDEAS

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