A Survey of Economic Theories and Field Evidence on Pro-Social Behavior
Working
Paper 06-6
by Stephan Meier
2006 Series
In recent years, a large number of economic theories have evolved to explain people’s pro-social behavior and the variation in their respective behavior. This paper surveys economic theories on pro-social behavior and presents evidence — mainly from the field — testing these theories. In addition, the survey emphasizes that institutional environment might significantly interact with pro-social preferences and explain some of the variation in observed pro-social behavior.
JEL codes: D64, C93, H41, D01
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