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The Charity of the Extremely Wealthy

Author

Listed:
  • Tom Coupe

    () (Kyiv School of Economics and Kyiv Economics Institute)

  • Claire Monteiro

    (Georgetown University)

Abstract

In this paper, we compare the charitable behavior of billionaires who inherited their wealth to the charitable behavior of those billionaires who made their own wealth. Self-made billionaires are found to be more likely to sign the ‘Giving Pledge’ and more likely to be in the Million Dollar Gifts lists or the Philanthropy Top 50 list of big givers, even after controlling for many other variables that can affect charitable behavior. They also are found to give more conditional on giving. This finding, which is consistent with ‘mental accounting’ occurring even at extremely high stakes, means policy makers in many emerging markets with ‘new’ billionaires better quickly modernize their outdated charity laws.

Suggested Citation

  • Tom Coupe & Claire Monteiro, 2013. "The Charity of the Extremely Wealthy," Discussion Papers 51, Kyiv School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:kse:dpaper:51
    Note: Submitted to ERSTE Social Science Research Paper Series
    as

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    File URL: http://repec.kse.org.ua/pdf/KSE_dp51.pdf
    File Function: November 2013
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    billionaires; Forbes; mental accounting; fundraising;

    JEL classification:

    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General

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