The Economics of the Gift
Description
I read and blather about "The Economics of the Gift", an essay I wrote for an interdisciplinary conference and book on "Gift Giving and the 'Embedded Economy' in the ancient world".
Part of a planned multi-part series on "reading old stuff I wrote and seeing how much I cringe".
Full essay is HERE
Ties in with
- Profusion data podcast Christmassy special
- EA forum post: seeing the effects of your donation
From the essay abstract:
This essay broadly considers gifts, giving, and gift economies, modern and pre-modern, from a mainstream (and behavioural) economics perspective. I present a selective survey of the literature focusing on six key points:
1. Commercial transactions sustained by reputation are not easily distinguishable from gift exchange economies;
2. Gift-giving allows the giver to accumulate goods that cannot be purchased commercially;
3. When the giver retains some use, experience, or control over the gift, she shares in the consumption of it;
4. Considering behavioural issues such as regret aversion, gift-giving may offer overlooked efficiencies that may balance out the deadweight losses from ‘inadequate gifts’;
5. Aggregate (anonymous) giving can be an important signal of overall group identity and character;
6. Historical modes of ‘giving under pressure’ offer insights for modern public policy and philanthropy
!["Turismo Eficaz" (EA Mexico Fellowship 1/n episodes). Discussions with Agustin Covarrubias, a taxi driver, and a bit more. [Fixed ordering]](https://s3.castbox.fm/ec/99/45/42346d8c0d8cfd7d227b6ebd42b06b8643_scaled_v1_400.jpg "\"Turismo Eficaz\" (EA Mexico Fellowship 1/n episodes). Discussions with Agustin Covarrubias, a taxi driver, and a bit more. [Fixed ordering]")
United States
