Date of Graduation

Spring 5-16-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in International and Development Economics (MSIDEC)

College/School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department/Program

Economics

First Advisor

Bruce Wydick

Abstract

Effective altruism has become an increasingly fashionable philosophy in recent years, with ardent supporters in Silicon Valley and other echelons of power. This study investigates to what extent people in urban and rural settings in the U.S., South Africa, and India act as effective altruists by employing an experiment in which participants must decide how to divide a $100 donation between two charities, one benefiting 10 people in their in-group and the other, more “effective” charity, benefiting 100 people in their out-group. The results show some areas in which U.S. urban populations act much more effectively altruistic than others, perhaps an indication of their status as a WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic) society. Overall, urban areas donated $1.54 or 3.07% more to their out-groups than rural areas when controlling for age and gender, indicating a lower level of parochialism, a trait stereotypically associated with rural communities. This pattern held true for every out-group tested except species, in which rural areas donated $6.51 or 20.05% more to other species than urban areas did. However, regions exhibited great heterogeneity, both within their own country and with those of other countries.

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