Evidence from an Experiment on Charity to Welfare Recipients
Reciprocity, Altruism and the Empathic Responsiveness Hypothesis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9707877 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christina M Fong (0000-0003-2703-422X, Carnegie Mellon University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 117 |
| Issue | 522 |
| Pages | 1008-1024 |
| Publication date | 2007-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Economic Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0013-0133 • E-ISSN: 1468-0297 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02076.x |
| OpenAlex | W2163883196 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 45 |
| References cited | 25 |
This article investigates the determinants of generosity in an experiment on charity to real-life welfare recipients. It tests the effects of various measures of unconditional altruism and conditional or reciprocal altruism. The results show strong support for conditional or reciprocal altruism. However, people who are self-reported unconditional altruists make offers that are highly elastic with respect to the apparent worthiness of the recipient. One interpretation of this is that self-reported unconditional altruists have combined desires to help others and to reciprocate; unconditional altruism and reciprocal altruism may not be independent motives. I refer to this combination as "empathic responsiveness". Copyright 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation Royal Economic Society 2007
Altruism (biology · Economics · Generosity · Interpretation (philosophy · Microeconomics · Political science · Reciprocal · Reciprocal altruism · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology · Welfare · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies · Philosophy · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 45 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,65 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2025 (17) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 44 |