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Is It True Love? Altruism Versus Exchange in Time and Money Transfers

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  • Rob Alessie
  • Viola Angelini
  • Giacomo Pasini

Abstract

This paper investigates what motivates intergenerational inter-vivos time and money transfers. We consider a model in which transfers may be driven not only by altruism, but also by exchange considerations. We use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe to discriminate between the two motives. We show that both if we consider money transfers from parents to children and time transfers from children to parents, the empirical evidence rejects pure altruism in favor of exchange. This result has important policy implications on the effectiveness of formal care provision as a substitute for informal care and on the impact of taxation on transfers. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Rob Alessie & Viola Angelini & Giacomo Pasini, 2014. "Is It True Love? Altruism Versus Exchange in Time and Money Transfers," De Economist, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 193-213, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:decono:v:162:y:2014:i:2:p:193-213
    DOI: 10.1007/s10645-013-9221-5
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    Cited by:

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    2. Chiara Canta & Helmuth Cremer, 2023. "Asymmetric information, strategic transfers, and the design of long-term care policies," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 75(1), pages 117-141.
    3. Diederich, Freya & König, Hans-Helmut & Brettschneider, Christian, 2021. "A longitudinal perspective on inter vivos transfers between children and their parents in need of long-term care," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 19(C).
    4. Max Groneck, 2017. "Bequests and Informal Long-Term Care: Evidence from HRS Exit Interviews," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(2), pages 531-572.
    5. Max Groneck & Frederic Krehl, 2014. "Bequests and Informal Long-Term Care: Evidence from the HRS Exit Interviews," Working Paper Series in Economics 79, University of Cologne, Department of Economics.
    6. Costa-Font, Joan & Jiménez-Martín, Sergi & Vilaplana-Prieto, Cristina, 2022. "Do Public Caregiving Subsidies and Supports affect the Provision of Care and Transfers?," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. Pasini, Giacomo & Alessie, Rob & Kalwij, Adriaan, 2024. "When you need it or when I die? Timing of monetary transfers from parents to children," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(3).
    8. Canta, Chiara & Cremer, Helmuth, 2019. "Long-term care policy with nonlinear strategic bequests," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 548-566.
    9. Emanuele Ciani & Claudio Deiana, 2016. "No Free Lunch, Buddy: Housing Transfers and Informal Care Later in Life," Center for the Analysis of Public Policies (CAPP) 0134, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Economia "Marco Biagi".
    10. Rob Alessie & Viola Angelini & Giacomo Pasini, 2014. "Is It True Love? Altruism Versus Exchange in Time and Money Transfers," De Economist, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 193-213, June.
    11. Michael Hatcher & Panayiotis M. Pourpourides, 2023. "Does the impact of private education on growth differ at different levels of credit market development?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(1), pages 291-322, February.
    12. Justina Klimaviciute & Pierre Pestieau & Jérôme Schoenmaeckers, 2019. "Family altruism and long-term care insurance," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 44(2), pages 216-230, April.
    13. Sanna Nivakoski, 2015. "The Exchange Motive in Intergenerational Transfers," Working Papers 201510, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    14. Alberto Pench, 2018. "Intra Generational Solidarity and Long Term Care: A Role for In Kind Transfers," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(1), pages 35-57.
    15. Christophe Courbage & Guillem Montoliu‐Montes, 2020. "Estate recovery and long‐term care insurance," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 22(4), pages 949-972, August.
    16. Lefebvre, Mathieu & Pestieau, Pierre & Schoenmaeckers, Jérôme, 2024. "Grandchild care and eldercare. A quid pro quo arrangement," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2024014, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    17. Justina Klimaviciute & Sergio Perelman & Pierre Pestieau & Jerome Schoenmaeckers, 2017. "Caring for dependent parents: Altruism, exchange or family norm?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(3), pages 835-873, July.
    18. Emanuele Ciani & Claudio Deiana, 2018. "No free lunch, buddy: past housing transfers and informal care later in life," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 971-1001, December.
    19. Akira Yakita, 2024. "Old-age support policy and fertility with strategic bequest motives," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-23, June.
    20. Loretti I. Dobrescu, 2015. "To Love or to Pay: Savings and Health Care in Older Age," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 50(1), pages 254-299.
    21. Ludovico Carrino & Cristina Elisa Orso & Giacomo Pasini, 2018. "Demand of long‐term care and benefit eligibility across European countries," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(8), pages 1175-1188, August.
    22. Sanna Nivakoski, 2019. "Does the exchange motive influence intergenerational transfers? Evidence from Ireland," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 1049-1079, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Intergenerational transfers; Altruism; Exchange; D12; J14;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination

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