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Other-Regarding Preferences and Giving Decision in Risky Environments: Experimental Evidence

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  • MICKAEL BEAUD
  • MATHIEU LEFEBVRE
  • JULIE ROSAZ

Abstract

This paper investigates if and how other-regarding preferences governing giving decisions in dictator games are affected in risky environments in which the payoff of the recipient is random. We demonstrate that, whenever the risk is actuarially neutral, the donation of dictators with a purely ex post view of fairness should, in general, be affected by the riskyness of the recipient’s payoff, while dictators with a purely ex ante view should not be. Our experimental data give weak empirical support to the purely ex post view of fairness.

Suggested Citation

  • Mickael Beaud & Mathieu Lefebvre & Julie Rosaz, 2018. "Other-Regarding Preferences and Giving Decision in Risky Environments: Experimental Evidence," Working Papers of BETA 2018-36, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:ulp:sbbeta:2018-36
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Laboratory experiments dictator games; background risk; otherregarding preferences; inequality aversion; impure altruism; ex ante and ex post views of fairness.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

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