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How Can Bill and Melinda Gates Increase Other People's Donations to Fund Public Goods?

Author

Listed:
  • List, John
  • Karlan, Dean

Abstract

We conducted two matching grant experiments with an international development charity. The primary experiment finds that a matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation raises more funds than a matching grant from an anonymous donor. The effect persists, and is strongest for donors who previously gave to other poverty-oriented charities. Combining these insights with survey results, we conclude that our matching gift primarily works through a quality signal mechanism. Overall, the results help to clarify why people give to charity, what models help to describe those motivations, and how practitioners can leverage economics to increase their fundraising potential.

Suggested Citation

  • List, John & Karlan, Dean, 2012. "How Can Bill and Melinda Gates Increase Other People's Donations to Fund Public Goods?," CEPR Discussion Papers 8922, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8922
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Public goods; Charitable fundraising; Asymmetric information; Matching grant;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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