In this paper we present a lab-in-the-field experiment with a large and diverse sample to compare charitable donations when individuals decide for themselves only and when they decide as a group representative. In contrast to the previous literature, we find that individuals make greater charitable contributions when they decide as a group representative than when they decide alone. This result demonstrates that being responsible for a group does not always lead to more selfish behavior.
@article{doi:10.17170/kobra-202101152976,
author ={Dannenberg, Astrid and Martinsson, Peter},
title ={Responsibility and prosocial behavior - Experimental evidence on charitable donations by individuals and group representatives},
keywords ={330 and Spende and Wohltätigkeit and Prosoziales Verhalten and Darstellungstheorie and Experiment},
copyright ={http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/},
language ={en},
journal ={Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics},
year ={2020-11-13}
}