Introduction to field experiments in economics with applications to the economics of charity

This special issue highlights an empirical approach that has increasingly grown in prominence in the last decade—field experiments. While field experiments can be used quite generally in economics—to test theories’ predictions, to measure key parameters, and to provide insights into the generalizability of empirical results—this special issue focuses on using field experiments to explore questions within the economics of charity. The issue contains six distinct field experimental studies that investigate various aspects associated with the economics of charitable giving. The issue also includes a fitting tribute to one of the earliest experimenters to depart from traditional lab methods, Peter Bohm, who curiously has not received deep credit or broad acclaim. Hopefully this issue will begin to rectify this oversight.      

我国慈善组织能力建设:问题及对策

慈善是具有扶危济困作用的公共管理事业,其已日渐成为当代中国社会保障体系的重要组成部分,并有着广阔的发展空间。总体而言,我国目前慈善组织的能力建设水平偏低,这严重影响着慈善事业的发展。文章自公共管理视角对慈善组织能力要素中存在的各种问题分别进行了探讨,并提出了完善慈善组织能力建设的具体思路。     

At the mercy of a prisoner three dictator experiments

We test male juvenile prisoners on a dictator game with another anonymous co-prisoner as recipient. Prisoners give more than students, but less than nonstudents of their age. They give more to a charity than to another prisoner. In one of two experiments, those convicted for violent crime give more than those convicted for property crime.     

近30年来中国善会善堂组织研究述评

学界恢复对中国善会善堂组织的研究已有30多年,这些年来,相关研究已经取得了长足的进步,但同时也存在着一些不足之处。本文拟对近30年来国内外学者有关中国善会善堂的研究做一综述,总结和概括前人研究的特点,寻找以往研究的缺失与不足,藉此找出进一步研究的方向。     

提高中国慈善事业公信度的思考

慈善事业是一种建立在自愿和信任基础上的事业，慈善事业的成败，很大程度上取决于慈善组织的自身建设和能否取得社会公来的信任。中国慈善事业的公信度不高，严重制约着民来的捐助信心，影响着慈善事业的健康发展。本文研究适个问题的现状，追究原因，找出解决措施，解除由它带来的对慈善事业的束缚。提高慈善事业的公信度，是关系到中国慈善事业兴旺发达的根本。     

Do cheaters in the lab also cheat in the field?

In this paper, we study the correlation between cheating in the lab and cheating in the field. We conduct a laboratory experiment using a variant of the Mind game (Jiang, 2013). Payoffs above a certain threshold are indicative of cheating behavior. Subjects are paid their earnings by bank transfer. A fraction of the subjects is deliberately paid more than their earnings. We send subjects a reminder e-mail stating their earnings and asking them if they have received their payment. We find a significant correlation of 0.31 between cheating in the lab and in the field. Subjects with higher payoffs in the Mind game are also less likely to report the overpayment. Our results speak to the lab-field generalizability of cheating behavior.     

慈善捐赠：现状、成因及改进思路

我国目前尚存在慈善捐赠主体缺乏,慈善组织自身缺陷以及政府机构立法和管理职能不到位等问题,针对以上问题,立足于慈善捐赠的理论基础,提出提高全民慈善意识、加强慈善组织建设和健全相关法律法规政策等改进思路。     

论市场经济条件下自然资源和生态环境的价值及其实现问题

本文对市场经济条件下自然资源和生态环境价值的很多基本问题进行了论述，诸如其价值的质的规定和量的规定、价值的表现方式、价值的实现及其补偿问题等。     

Reducing ambiguity in lotteries: evidence from a field experiment

Ambiguity about the chances of winning represents a key aspect in lotteries. By means of a controlled field experiment, we exogenously vary the degree of ambiguity about the winning chances of lotteries organized to incentivize the contribution for a public good. In one treatment, people have been simply informed about the maximum number of potential participants (i.e. the number of lottery tickets released). In a second treatment, this information has been omitted as in all traditional lotteries. Our general finding shows that simply reducing the degree of ambiguity of the lottery leads to a sizable and significant increase (67%) in the participation rate. This result is robust to alternative prize configurations.     

How close to home does charity begin?

ABSTRACT

This paper uses a field experiment to analyse the extent to which people are more inclined to support a charity focused on people or causes in their own region, compared to regions in other parts of the country. New Zealand landowners were incentivized to take part in an online survey by being told they could choose a charity from a list of four that would receive a $10 donation if they completed the survey. Importantly, the charities are based in different regions of the country. We find evidence of a significant declining radius of altruism: not only do people prefer to support charities in their own area, the further away a charity is located, the less likely people are to support it. These findings highlight the importance of geographic distance (independent of social distance) in charitable giving.     

劳动价值论的构图——一种马克思主义整体解读观

当下劳动价值论所遭遇的危机,需要实践性的根本解决。整体解读劳动价值论,其在方法论与理论的结合层面形成系统的扩展张力,展开为劳动-价值-价格的研究主线和逻辑发展图景。形成三个层面的结构性认识:(1)劳动是历史二重的规定,构图为本体论上的存在和机制,从中细化出同质劳动、异质劳动范畴;(2)价值是社会总体的规定,构图为关于社会实体的存在和机制,从中细化出同质商品、异质商品范畴;(3)价格是政治实践的规定,构图为关于现象运动的存在和机制,从中细化出社会价格、内部价格范畴。这些不同层级的存在及其运动机制,形成为系统总体的差别的统一。该研究表明:劳动价值论不仅是一种理论关系,更为主要地,也是一种实践关系,应在寻求逻辑(方法)和认识(理论)的现实统一中,实现对事实的全部理解。     

Using Hicksian Surplus Measures to Examine Consistency of Individual Preferences: Evidence from a Field Experiment

This paper pits neoclassical theory against prospect theory by investigating several clean tests of the competing hypotheses. Consistent with previous work, the field experimental data suggest that prospect theory adequately organizes behavior among inexperienced consumers, whereas consumers with intense market experience behave largely in accordance with neoclassical predictions. The data indicate that the convergence in values occurs entirely because of lower Hicksian equivalent surplus values.     

马克思价值规定的质的解析

马克思的价值规定有两个基本前提,即“政治经济学只研究财富的社会形式”和“交换必有共通物”,其价值概念具有自然属性与社会属性两重性质;价值的本质是社会分工条件下生产者个人与社会的矛盾关系;马克思的价值规定存在着既排斥使用价值又严格依赖于使用价值的内在矛盾。马克思通过从“社会总劳动”到“社会劳动”的概念替代“化解”了内在矛盾,并通过劳动二重性理论构建起价值规定的完整逻辑形式。但事实上,概念替代和劳动二重性仅仅掩盖了矛盾,并没有真正化解它,反而使价值规定更加远离了其现实基础——使用价值。     

我国慈善事业透明化设计原则与路径选择

2011年被称为我国慈善透明问责年,如何让我国慈善事业健康发展、少走弯路,关键问题是透明度建设。因此,我国慈善事业透明化的设计原则应为改进原则、平等自愿原则、科学自由原则,路径选择为官方慈善组织转型和民间慈善组织借鉴路径。     

论坚持和发展马克思劳动价值论的思想方法

当前 ,马克思的劳动价值论面临着类似于李嘉图学派解体的危险。要坚持和发展劳动价值论 ,至关重要的是端正思想方法。在理论与实际出现差距时 ,既不能放弃理论 ,也不能固守和诡辩 ,而必须根据实践修正理论 ;在修正理论时 ,必须采取正确的提问方式 ,不能采取纯粹经济学和“工具主义”的视角 ,而必要从深层次对理论本身进行提问 ;在坚持和发展理论方面 ,必须采取正确的态度 ,不能采取笼统坚持或否定的态度 ,而必须采取在区分理论本身的不变成分和可变成分的基础上予以辨证扬弃的态度     

Field Experiments in a Course on Behavioral Economics: Nudging Students Around Campus

In experiential education, the student learns through experience by observing a concept or phenomenon and applying this knowledge in a real-world context. A research project conducted by undergraduate students at a U.S. private liberal arts college is described in this article. The project provided opportunity for students to think about their decision-making processes, compare them to existing literature, and apply this knowledge in examining their own hypotheses through primary data collection on campus. While the research design's simplicity ensured that the project could be completed in time for a final grade and sacrificed lecture material in favor of feedback opportunities, this behavioral field experiment was a rewarding experience because of students’ enthusiasm and their ability to defend and think critically of their own ideas.     

“批租制”下中国地产投资价值研究

本文从理论上探讨了中国批租制度下的地产投资价值问题。研究表明,地产是一种金融资产,具有投资增值特性,其内在价值取决于GDP发展水平。在中国现行土地所有权与使用权相分离的国情下,对于土地使用者而言,地产的投资价值要远小于地产的内在价值,地产不具有金融资产的特性;土地的剩余使用年限是决定地产投资价值的重要因素,地产投资价值随着土地使用期限的临近而呈现递减趋势。     

高科技初创企业的商务模式设计研究

商务模式由它的价值主张、价值支撑和价值保持等来表征。首先,商务模式的设计是一个不断完善的互动过程,在生命周期的每个阶段都需要进行设计和优化,3个设计部分是互相补充、互相完善的,是一种阶梯式上升的循环过程;最后,运用实例对高科技初创企业的商务模式设计进行了说明。