When Helping Hurts: Donor Behavior in Post-Disaster Material Convergence

47 Pages Posted: 10 Oct 2022

See all articles by Peter Imbriale

Peter Imbriale

Bentley University

Jeffrey A. Livingston

Bentley University - Department of Economics

Euthemia Stavrulaki

Bentley University

Abstract

Following a disaster that results in a humanitarian crisis, media coverage of the event is frequently followed by surplus donations of goods to charitable organizations. This flow of donations, a postdisaster phenomenon termed material convergence, often consists of large quantities of unsolicited and unwanted items that disrupt the distribution of more urgently needed goods. In this study, we conduct an experiment to evaluate whether this problem can be mitigated by media reports on the benefits of donating cash instead of goods. We find that such reports can significantly increase the proportion of cash donations, potentially reducing the material convergence problem.

Keywords: Charitable Giving, donations, material convergence

Suggested Citation

Imbriale, Peter and Livingston, Jeffrey A. and Stavrulaki, Euthemia, When Helping Hurts: Donor Behavior in Post-Disaster Material Convergence. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4243347 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4243347

Peter Imbriale (Contact Author)

Bentley University ( email )

Jeffrey A. Livingston

Bentley University - Department of Economics ( email )

175 Forest Street
Waltham, MA 02452-4705
United States
781-891-2538 (Phone)
781-891-2896 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://works.bepress.com/jeffrey_livingston/

Euthemia Stavrulaki

Bentley University ( email )

175 Forest Street
Waltham, MA 02145
United States

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