Gift Exchange in the Field
نویسنده
چکیده
This study reports evidence from a field experiment that was conducted to investigate the relevance of gift-exchange in a natural setting. In collaboration with a charitable organization we sent roughly 10,000 solicitation letters to potential donors. One third of the letters contained no gift, one third contained a small gift and one third contained a large gift. The treatment assignment was random. The results confirm the economic importance of gift-exchange. Compared to the no gift condition, the relative frequency of donations increased by 17 percent if a small gift was included and by 75 percent for a large gift. The study extends the current body of research on reciprocity, which is almost exclusively confined to laboratory studies. The results also add to the understanding of the motives behind charitable giving.
منابع مشابه
Charitable Giving as a Gift Exchange: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Charitable Giving as a Gift Exchange: Evidence from a Field Experiment This study reports data from a field experiment that was conducted to investigate the relevance of gift-exchange for charitable giving. Roughly 10,000 solicitation letters were sent to potential donors in the experiment. One third of the letters contained no gift, one third contained a small gift and one third contained a la...
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