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Spousal Dictator Game: Household Decisions and Other-Regarding Preferences

Author

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  • Matthew K. Gnagey

    (Department of Economics, Weber State University, 1337 Edvalson St., Ogden, UT 84408-3807, USA)

  • Therese C. Grijalva

    (Department of Economics, Weber State University, 1337 Edvalson St., Ogden, UT 84408-3807, USA)

  • Rong Rong

    (Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 80 campus center way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA)

Abstract

Using a laboratory experiment, we collected data on dictator giving among student strangers and married couples in a suburban area in the United States. Confirming common belief and prior empirical evidence, we find that giving among spouses is greater than giving among anonymous students. We further investigated factors associated with spousal giving which may provide insight for the development of future theories, or into explaining other-regarding preferences. Our data shows that giving is positively associated with who manages household money and controls household income. This result is robust after controlling for each spouse’s personal income and using various econometric specifications. The results suggest that spousal giving may be due to household economic roles in addition to other-regarding preferences.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew K. Gnagey & Therese C. Grijalva & Rong Rong, 2018. "Spousal Dictator Game: Household Decisions and Other-Regarding Preferences," Games, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jgames:v:9:y:2018:i:3:p:69-:d:169227
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Anastasios Koukoumelis & Maria Vittoria Levati & Chiara Nardi, 2021. "Social and Moral Distance in Risky Settings," Working Papers 13/2021, University of Verona, Department of Economics.
    2. Doñate-Buendía, Anabel & García-Gallego, Aurora & Petrović, Marko, 2022. "Gender and other moderators of giving in the dictator game: A meta-analysis," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 280-301.

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