A randomized experiment on the determinants of generosity to the poor

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Principal investigators:

Christina M. Fong

Carnegie Mellon University

Email: fong2@andrew.cmu.edu

Homepage: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/people/faculty/christina-fong.html

Robyn Dawes

Carnegie Mellon University

Erzo Luttmer

Dartmouth College

Email: Ezro.FP.Luttmer@Dartmouth.edu

Homepage: http://users.nber.org/~luttmer/


Sample size: 523

Field period: 9/8/2006-9/20/2006

Abstract

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Experimental Manipulations

We conducted dictator games in which respondents decided how much, if any, of a $100 pie to allocate to recipients of two food pantries in Tuscaloosa Alabama. We implemented 10% of the games with real money, so the average stake size was $10.00. We used a short audiovisual presentation to manipulate perceptions about the race, deservingness, political ID, and religiosity of the recipients. We also provided some respondents with the information that Tuscaloosa is relatively well off compared to the rest of Alabama. We used photos to manipulate race by showing mostly black recipients to some respondents and mostly white recipients to other respondents. We used accompanying audio information for the manipulations of deservingness, political ID, and religiosity or recipients, and Tuscaloosa´s aggregate income.

Outcomes

Our primary dependent variable is offers made in the dictator game. We also collected measures of beliefs about recipients, various self-reported measures of generosity to the poor, and various other attitudinal measures.

Summary of Results

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Conclusions

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References

Fong, Christina and Erzo Luttmer. 2009. "What Determines Giving to Hurricane Katrina Victims? Experimental Evidence on Racial Group Loyalty." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1: 64-87