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Pro-Social Behavior, Reciprocity or Both?

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Author Info
Bruno S. Frey
Stephan Meier

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Abstract

Empirical evidence is provided for the importance of non-reciprocal pro-social behavior of individuals in an anonymous, n-person pure public good setting. A unique panel data set of 136,000 observations is matched with an extensive survey. Even under anonymous conditions, a large number of individuals are prepared to donate a not insignificant sum of money. Cooperation conditional on giving by specific other persons (reciprocity) is present but the causal relationship is ambiguous. It is crucially important, whether, and in what way, one is asked to donate. Identification with the organization is also important.

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Paper provided by Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW in its series IEW - Working Papers with number iewwp107.

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Handle: RePEc:zur:iewwpx:107

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Related research
Keywords: Public Goods; Pro-social behavior; Reciprocity; Donation;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism
Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Social Norms and Social Capital; Social Networks Economic Anthropology

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References listed on IDEAS
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Cited by:
(explanations, 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. Anke Gerber & Thorsten Hens & Bodo Vogt, . "Coordination in a Repeated Stochastic Game with Imperfect Monitoring," IEW - Working Papers iewwp126, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  2. Armin Falk & Urs Fischbacher & Simon Gächter, . "Living in Two Neighborhoods - Social Interactions in the Lab," IEW - Working Papers iewwp150, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Ashraf, Nava & Bohnet, Iris & Piankov, Nikita, 2003. "Is Trust a Bad Investment?," Working Paper Series rwp03-047, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government. [Downloadable!]
  4. Bruno S. Frey, . "Publishing as Prostitution? Choosing Between One‘s Own Ideas and Academic Failure," IEW - Working Papers iewwp117, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  5. Enrico De Giorgi, . "A Note on Portfolio Selection under Various Risk Measures," IEW - Working Papers iewwp122, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  6. Rosanas, Josep M., 2006. "Beyond economic criteria: A humanistic approach to organizational survival," IESE Research Papers D/654, IESE Business School. [Downloadable!]
  7. Aleksander Berentsen & Guillaume Rocheteau, . "On the Friedman Rule in Search Models with Divisible Money," IEW - Working Papers iewwp155, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Aleksander Berentsen & Esther Brügger & Simon Lörtscher, . "On Cheating and Whistle-Blowing," IEW - Working Papers iewwp153, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  9. Simon Gächter & Ernst Fehr, . "Fairness in the Labour Market – A Survey of Experimental Results," IEW - Working Papers iewwp114, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  10. Enrico De Giorgi, . "Reward-Risk Portfolio Selection and Stochastic Dominance," IEW - Working Papers iewwp121, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Fehr, Ernst & Henrich, Joseph, 2003. "Is Strong Reciprocity a Maladaption? On the Evolutionary Foundations of Human Altruism," CEPR Discussion Papers 3860, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Thorsten Hens & Klaus Reiner Schenk-Hoppé & Martin Stalder, . "An Application of Evolutionary Finance to Firms Listed in the Swiss Market Index," IEW - Working Papers iewwp128, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  13. Bruno S. Frey & Matthias Benz, . "From Imperialism to Inspiration: A Survey of Economics and Psychology," IEW - Working Papers iewwp118, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  14. Armin Falk, Michael Kosfeld, . "It's all about Connections: Evidence on Network Formation," IEW - Working Papers iewwp146, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Bruno S. Frey & Stephan Meier, . "Social Comparisons and Pro-social Behavior - Testing ‘Conditional Cooperation’ in a Field Experiment," IEW - Working Papers iewwp162, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  16. Matthias Benz & Alois Stutzer, . "Do Workers Enjoy Procedural Utility?," IEW - Working Papers iewwp127, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  17. Anke Gerber & Marc Oliver Bettzüge, . "Evolutionary Choice of Markets," IEW - Working Papers iewwp109, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  18. Bruno S. Frey & Stephan Meier, . "Museums between Private and Public - The Case of the Beyeler Museum in Basle," IEW - Working Papers iewwp116, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  19. Bruno S. Frey & Matthias Benz & Alois Stutzer, . "Introducing Procedural Utility: Not only What, but also How Matters," IEW - Working Papers iewwp129, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  20. Reto Föllmi & Urs Meister, . "Product-Market Competition in the Water Industry: Voluntarily Nondiscriminatory Pricing," IEW - Working Papers iewwp115, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  21. Stephan Meier & Alois Stutzer, . "Matching Donations - Subsidizing Charitable Giving in a Field Experiment," IEW - Working Papers iewwp181, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-10-22.


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