Repeated Pro-Social Behavior in the Presence of Economic Interventions

We investigate the immediate and subsequent effects of two prominent drivers of charitable giving: a charitable lottery and an income tax. Employing a modified two-round dictator game with the subject’s charity of choice as recipient, we find increased immediate donations in the presence of both a charitable lottery and an income tax. We observe positive spillover effects for both treatments, after removing the incentives. Spillovers are particularly observable for participants who express a deontological mindset.

Gallier, Carlo, Christiane Reif and Daniel Römer (2017), Repeated Pro-Social Behavior in the Presence of Economic Interventions, Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics 69 , 18-28