Is a Donor in Hand Better than Two in the Bush? Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Landry, Craig E.; Lange, Andreas; List, John A.; Price, Michael K.; Rupp, Nicholas G.
• 署名单位: University of North Carolina; East Carolina University; University System of Maryland; University of Maryland College Park; University of Chicago; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Knoxville; University of Tennessee System; University of Tennessee Knoxville
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.3.958
• 发表日期: 2010
• 页码: 958-983
• 关键词: public-goods; impure altruism; gift exchange; charity; lotteries; ECONOMICS; Donations

摘要

This study examines why people initially give to charities, why they remain committed to the cause, and what factors attenuate these influences. Using an experimental design that links donations across distinct treatments separated in time, we present several results. For example, previous donors are more likely to give, and contribute more, than other donor types. Yet, how previous donors were acquired is critical: agents initially attracted by an economic mechanism are more likely to continue giving than agents attracted by a nonmechanism factor. From a methodological viewpoint, our study showcases the benefit of moving beyond an experimental design that focuses on short-run substitution effects.