""Holier than Thou? A Natural Field Experiment on Social Information in Charitable Giving"""

Previous laboratory and field experiments suggest increased levels of generosity when donor identities are revealed. We add to this by studying a unique natural field experiment. We explore a panel of religious donors tracking 1,597 households over 335 weeks from 1994-2000 in Zagreb, Croatia. Donations were solicited at each Sunday mass for a fundraising campaign to construct a new church. Every Sunday, the priest announced donations, names, and addresses of donors, with surprise changes in the presentation of this social information. Individual donations were publicly announced for the first 117 weeks, posted on a publicly visible board for the next 106 weeks, and finally announced in cumulative total for the final 112 weeks. We exploit this unique setup to present evidence about the role of publicity and complementarity in preferences for altruism. We find strong evidence that social information affects giving. Individuals are more inclined to donate when donation is publicized more loudly, when it is a...