Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor? (Update)

A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It’s an easy narrative to embrace — but is it true? As part of GiveDirectly’s “Pods Fight Poverty” campaign, we revisit a 2017 episode.

 

• SOURCES:
  • Jim Andreoni, professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego.
  • Nikos Nikiforakis, professor of economics at New York University in Abu Dhabi.
  • Paul Piff, associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine.
  • Jan Stoop, associate professor of applied economics at the Erasmus School of Economics.

 

• RESOURCES:
  • "Are the Rich More Selfish Than the Poor, or do They Just Have More Money? A Natural Field Experiment," by James Andreoni, Nikos Nikiforakis, and Jan Stoop (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017).
  • "Exploring the Psychology of Wealth, 'Pernicious' Effects of Economic Inequality," (PBS NewsHour, 2013).
  • "Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function," by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir, and Jiaying Zhao (Science, 2013).
  • "Higher Social Class Predicts Increased Unethical Behavior," by Paul Piff, Daniel Stancato, Stéphane Côté, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, and Dacher Keltner (PNAS, 2011).
  • "Relative Earnings and Giving in a Real-Effort Experiment," by Nisvan Erkal, Lata Gangadharan, and Nikos Nikiforakis (American Economic Review, 2011).
  • "Experimenter Demand Effects in Economic Experiments," by Daniel John Zizzo (Experimental Economics, 2009).
  • "Impure Altruism and Donations to Public Goods: A Theory of Warm-Glow Giving," by James Andreoni (The Economic Journal, 1990).
  • "Privately Provided Public Goods in a Large Economy: The Limits of Altruism," by James Andreoni (Journal of Public Economics, 1987).
  • "A Positive Model of Private Charity and Public Transfers," by Russell Roberts (Journal of Political Economy, 1984).
  • Pods Fight Poverty Campaign on Give Directly.

 

• EXTRAS:
  • “How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten,” by Freakonomics Radio (2013).

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