Four Economic Experiments on Social Preferences

Abstract

This thesis presents and discusses four different economic experiments investigating the foundations and formation of social preferences. Chapter 1, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 all take a closer look at prosociality. Prosociality is one manifestation of a social preference and refers to behavior or intentions that benefit others. Chapter 1 investigates helping behavior in a non-monetary domain and asks to which extent individuals' decisions are guided by the consumption preferences of the receiving party and to which degree by their own. Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 both analyze the dynamics of prosocial behavior and investigate if and under which circumstances initial prosocial behavior, in particular altruistic giving, increases future prosocial behavior and, therefore, how the development of prosociality can be fostered. Chapter 2 takes the notion of social preferences to another domain: risk. We investigate whether an individual prefers risky prospects that lead to the same outcomes for her as for another individual to risky prospects that result in negatively correlated outcomes for the two individuals; we also discuss possible reasons and implications.