Applying techniques developed by Geanakoplos et al. (1989), this paper analyzes the gift exchange between agents with privately observed nonpaternalistic altruism. I find that gift giving between agents under private information of altruism can be analyzed as a conventional signaling game. After applying standard refinements of signaling games, I show that, over nondegenerate ranges of parameter values, private information introduces systematic biases in agents' behavior. First, agents tend to give larger gifts than under full information. Second, despite that fact that agents have no intrinsic concern for reciprocity or fairness, the more altruistic the recipient is, the more the donor exaggerates the gift size. The second finding gives rise to a new theory of reciprocity according to which private information of unconditional altruism can lead to reciprocal behavior.

Ed. by Cervellati, Matteo / Fong, Yuk-fai / Peeters, Ronald / Puzzello , Daniela / Rivas, Javier / Schipper, Burkhard
1 Issue per year
Increased IMPACT FACTOR 2011: 0.490
Issues
Volume 12 (2012)
Volume 11 (2011)
Volume 10 (2010)
Volume 9 (2009)
Volume 8 (2008)
Volume 7 (2007)
Volume 6 (2006)
Volume 5 (2005)
Volume 4 (2004)
Volume 3 (2003)
Volume 2 (2002)
Volume 1 (2001)
Most Downloaded Articles
- Seller Cheap Talk in Almost Common Value Auction by LI, Daniel Zhiyun
- Ascending Auctions with Package Bidding by Ausubel, Lawrence M and Milgrom, Paul R
- Antitrust Evaluation of Horizontal Mergers: An Economic Alternative to Market Definition by Farrell, Joseph and Shapiro, Carl
- Strategic Effects of Renegotiation-Proof Contracts by Gerratana, Emanuele and Koçkesen, Levent
- An Experimental Comparison of Sequential First- and Second-Price Auctions with Synergies by Leufkens, Kasper/ Peeters, Ronald and Vorsatz, Marc
Private Information of Nonpaternalistic Altruism: Exaggeration and Reciprocation of Generosity
Yuk-Fai Fong1
1Northwestern University, y-fong@kellogg.northwestern.edu
Citation Information: The B.E. Journal of Theoretical Economics. Volume 9, Issue 1, Pages –, ISSN (Online) 1935-1704, DOI: 10.2202/1935-1704.1506, January 2009
Publication History:
- Published Online:
- 2009-01-21
Keywords: nonpaternalistic altruism; unconditional altruism; reciprocity


















Comments (0)