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Desarro. soc. | eISSN 1900-7760 | ISSN 0120-3584

Altruism with Social Roots: An Emerging Literature

No. 58 (2006-08-01)
  • Pablo Brañas–Garza
    **Professor of the Department of Economics and Economic History, Granada University, Campus de la Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain. Email: pbg@ugr.es
  • Espinosa María Paz
    ***Professor of the Department of Economics, University of the Basque Country, Lehendakari Aguirre 83, 48015 Bilbao, Spain. Email: mariapaz.espinosa@bs.ehu.es
https://doi.org/10.13043/dys.58.7

Abstract

This paper analyzes the emerging literature on the determinants of giving within a social network. We propose two main explanatory variables for previous experimental results on the friendship effect. The first is social integration, which has a positive impact on giving. The second variable is strategic and is based on reciprocity: the possibility of ex-post favors. Econometric analysis shows that both variables play a positive (and significant) role.

Keywords: giving, social networks, reciprocity, social integration