The Economics Of Altruism

The Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism provides a comprehensive set of reviews of literature on the economics of nonmarket voluntary transfers. The foundations of the field are reviewed first, with a sequence of chapters that present the hard core of the theoretical and empirical analyses of giving, reciprocity and altruism in economics, examining their relations with the viewpoints of moral philosophy, psychology, sociobiology, sociology and economic anthropology. Secondly, a comprehensive set of applications are considered of all the aspects of society where nonmarket voluntary transfers are significant: family and intergenerational transfers; charity and charitable institutions; the nonprofit economy; interpersonal relations in the workplace; the Welfare State; and international aid. *Every volume contains contributions from leading researchers *Each Handbook presents an accurate, self-contained survey of a particular topic *The series provides comprehensive and accessible surveys

Presents a collection of papers by economists theorizing on the roles of altruism and morality versus self-interest in the shaping of human behavior and institutions. Specifically, the authors examine why some persons behave in an altruistic way without any apparent reward, thus defying the economist's model of utility maximization. The chapters are accompanied by commentaries from representatives of other disciplines, including law and philosophy.

This volume contains 34 articles on the economics of altruism published after 1975. The articles are grouped under 6 headings: the emergence of altruistic behaviour, varieties of altruism, the relevance of altruism and selfishness, altruism and allocation of resources, evolutionary dynamics of altruism, extended rationality and altruistic behaviour. It should be welcomed by all those with an interest in economics, philosophy, psychology and sociology.

Reciprocity is a pervasive type of social interaction in encounters, groups and organizations. This volume gathers basic recent works in its main domains such as the theory of reciprocity, the public economics of transfers, the economics of the family, charities, gifts of organs, or the motivations for gift-giving. The book constitutes a landmark in this rapidly expanding field of research.

Provides a comprehensive set of reviews of literature on the economics of nonmarket voluntary transfers.

Revised, updated and in paperback, studies altruistic and nonaltruistic motives for transfers between families and groups.