This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Who is Willing to Let Ethics Guide His Economic Decision-Making? Evidence from Individual Investments in Ethical Funds

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Säve-Söderbergh, Jenny () (Swedish Institute for Social Research, Stockholm University)
Abstract

Recent economics literature has devoted attention towards motives beyond the typical selfish norm for economic decision-making. Yet, it still remains a puzzle who allows such considerations to govern their behavior. This paper contributes by empirically identifying some features which differentiate individuals who choose to bear the cost of ethically guided economic decision-making from others. Using unique Swedish data on individual pension portfolio choices, we find that education, the choice of an occupation that is committed to taking care of others, actively joining a group working for a common cause, clearly predict the choice of an ethical screen for individual investments.In contrast to previous findings on altruism, income, financial wealth and age do not govern the decision. The results therefore suggest that investing ethically is typically a choice of principles.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.sofi.su.se/wp/WP05-7.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Swedish Institute for Social Research in its series Working Paper Series with number 7/2005.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 37 pages
Date of creation: 24 Nov 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hhs:sofiwp:2005_007

Contact details of provider:
Postal: SOFI, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: (0)8 - 16 32 48
Fax: (0)8 - 15 46 70
Web page: http://www.sofi.su.se/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Jean Parr).

Related research
Keywords: Socially Responsible Investing; Altruism; Individual Financial Investments; Individual Decision-Making; Ethics and Norms;

Find related papers by JEL classification:
A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
C24 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models
D80 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - General
Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Social Norms and Social Capital; Social Networks Economic Anthropology

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Falk, Armin, 2004. "Charitable Giving as a Gift Exchange: Evidence From a Field Experiment," CEPR Discussion Papers 4189, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Fischbacher, Urs & Gachter, Simon & Fehr, Ernst, 2001. "Are people conditionally cooperative? Evidence from a public goods experiment," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(3), pages 397-404, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Gary S. Becker, 1974. "A Theory of Social Interactions," NBER Working Papers 0042, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Guiso, Luigi & Jappelli, Tullio & Terlizzese, Daniele, 1996. "Income Risk, Borrowing Constraints, and Portfolio Choice," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(1), pages 158-72, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Engström, Stefan & Westerberg, Anna, 2003. "Which individuals make active investment decisions in the new Swedish pension system?," Working Paper Series in Economics and Finance 527, Stockholm School of Economics, revised 21 Jul 2003.
  6. Andrei Shleifer, 2004. "Does Competition Destroy Ethical Behavior?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 414-418, May. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. James Andreoni & Lise Vesterlund, 2001. "Which Is The Fair Sex? Gender Differences In Altruism," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 116(1), pages 293-312, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  8. Alicia H. Munnell & Annika Sunden, . "Investment Practices of State and Local Pension Funds: Implications for Social Security Reform," Pension Research Council Working Papers 99-9, Wharton School Pension Research Council, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Gary E. Bolton & Rami Zwick & Elena Katok, 1998. "Dictator game giving: Rules of fairness versus acts of kindness," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 269-299. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Henrik Cronqvist & Richard H. Thaler, 2004. "Design Choices in Privatized Social-Security Systems: Learning from the Swedish Experience," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(2), pages 424-428, May. [Downloadable!]
  11. Dufwenberg, Martin & Muren, Astri, 2002. "Discrimination by Gender and Social Distance," Research Papers in Economics 2002:2, Stockholm University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  12. Schokkaert, Erik, 2006. "The Empirical Analysis of Transfer Motives," Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism, Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Andreoni, James, 1990. "Impure Altruism and Donations to Public Goods: A Theory of Warm-Glow Giving?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(401), pages 464-77, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Leslie Moscow McGranahan, 2000. "Charity and the Bequest Motive: Evidence from Seventeenth-Century Wills," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(6), pages 1270-1291, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Freeman, Richard B, 1997. "Working for Nothing: The Supply of Volunteer Labor," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages S140-66, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Plantinga, Auke & Scholtens, Bert, 2001. "Socially responsible investing and management style of mutual funds in the euronext stock markets," Research Report 01E17, University of Groningen, Research Institute SOM (Systems, Organisations and Management). [Downloadable!]
  17. Auten, Gerald & Joulfaian, David, 1996. "Charitable contributions and intergenerational transfers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 55-68, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Engstr M, Stefan & Westerberg, Anna, 2003. "Which individuals make active investment decisions in the new Swedish pension system?," Journal of Pension Economics and Finance, Cambridge University Press, vol. 2(03), pages 225-245, November. [Downloadable!]
  19. Bolton, Gary E. & Katok, Elena, 1995. "An experimental test for gender differences in beneficent behavior," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(3-4), pages 287-292, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Harbaugh, William T, 1998. "The Prestige Motive for Making Charitable Transfers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 277-82, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Lewis, Alan & Cullis, John, 1990. "Ethical investments: Preferences and morality," Journal of Behavioral Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 395-411. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? The RePEc project started in 1997. Its precursor, NetEc, dates back to 1993.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-29.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.