Overview

• This data set, titled DoDaG (Data Set on Distance and Giving), contains data collected from two experimental paradigms: the Refugee Paradigm (field experiment from 2015) and the Charity Paradigm (lab experiment from 2017). The data explores the effects of physical distance on charitable giving behavior.
• For a detailed description of the procedures, please read: Kühl L., Szech N. (2017): Physical distance and cooperativeness towards strangers, KIT Working Paper 110, November 2017. ISSN: 2190-9806. https://econpapers.wiwi.kit.edu/downloads/KITe_WP_110.pdf

Description of the Experiments

1. Refugee Paradigm (Field Experiment, 2015)

• Objective: To study the effect of physical distance on giving behavior towards strangers (refugees) in a field setting.
• Sample Size: 155 participants.
• Methodology: In a field setting, participants decide about supporting local refugees at the dispense of money to themselves. The choice is binary: they either keep 15 Euros to themselves or share half of it with refugees at a local refugee camp. We vary physical distance to the refugees while taking the decision.

2. Charity Paradigm (Lab Experiment, 2017)

• Objective: To examine the effect of physical distance on charitable behavior in a controlled lab environment.
• Sample Size: 320 participants.
• Methodology: In the lab, participants decide about donating money to people in need. We only vary physcial distance to the people in need (in meters or kilomenters as stated in the instructions). No furhter information on the specific location(s) is given.

How to Use the Data

• Recommended Software: The dataset can be opened with Excel, R, Python (Pandas), Stata, etc.
• Analyses: Suitable for statistical analyses, replication studies, and behavioral economic research.

Licensing and Access

• License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International). This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only. If others modify or adapt the material, they must license the modified material under identical terms.
• Citation: Please cite this dataset as: Kühl L., Szech N. (2024). DoDaG - Data Set on Distance and Giving. URL: https://github.com/Kuehl-KIT/DoDaG. DOI: [pending].

How to Report Issues

If you find errors in the data or have questions, please report an issue via https://github.com/Kuehl-KIT/DoDaG/issues.

Related Publications

Kühl L., Szech N. (2017): Physical distance and cooperativeness towards strangers, KIT Working Paper 110, November 2017. ISSN: 2190-9806. https://econpapers.wiwi.kit.edu/downloads/KITe_WP_110.pdf

Links and Resources

Dataset Repository: https://github.com/Kuehl-KIT/DoDaG

• The repository contains the data set and further information.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to all participants and all members of the Chair of Political Economy at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology who supported this work.
This dataset and the research it supports are dedicated to the memory of Prof. Dr. Nora Szech, an extraordinary researcher, co-author, and invaluable collaborator. Nora’s profound insights, boundless curiosity, and unwavering commitment to advancing behavioral economics contributed to this work. Her passion for understanding human behavior and her compassionate spirit continue to inspire us. Nora’s contributions extend far beyond the data; her legacy lives on in the minds she touched and the research she inspired. We miss her greatly and honor her memory with this publication.