Who Gives? On Empathy and Impulsiveness

Andreoni, James; Koessler, Ann-Kathrin; Serra-Garcia, Marta

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3266607

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Who Gives? On Empathy and Impulsiveness

15 Pages Posted: 7 Nov 2018

See all articles by James Andreoni

James Andreoni

University of California, San Diego (UCSD)

Ann-Kathrin Koessler

Institute of Environmental Planning, Leibniz University Hannover; Institute for Environmental Systems Research & Department of Economics, University of Osnabrueck

Marta Serra-Garcia

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Rady School of Management

Date Written: June 27, 2017

Abstract

We investigate the impact of empathy and impulsiveness on charitable giving using a real donation experiment. We confirm that greater empathy predicts greater charitable giving. Contrary to recent literature, however, we find a significant negative relationship between impulsiveness and donation behavior. Specifically, when financial resources are scarce, donations are more often made by decision-makers who are able to suppress an intuitively egoistic response.

Keywords: Empathy, Impulsiveness, Charitable Giving, Donation, Pro-Social Behavior

JEL Classification: C91, D64, H40

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Andreoni, James and Koessler, Ann-Kathrin and Serra-Garcia, Marta, Who Gives? On Empathy and Impulsiveness (June 27, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3266607 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3266607