Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP4292
Authors: John Micklewright; Anna Wright
Abstract: Charitable donations by private individuals and firms can help fund the Millennium Development Goals. What are the prospects for increasing donations for international development, whether from small-scale donors, the super-rich (as in the recent gifts by Bill Gates and Ted Turner), or the corporate sector? The Paper starts by reviewing how large are the sums currently given in OECD countries (including gifts of time) and the problems for development in competing with domestic causes. It then looks at possibilities for the future, including tax-deductions, the new ?global funds?, corporate social responsibility and ?cause-related marketing?, the use of the Internet, and long-term donor education.
Keywords: charities; development; finance; philanthropy; volunteering
JEL Codes: D64; F35; L31; O19
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| rising real income (E25) | total donations (D64) |
| tax incentives (H20) | total donations (D64) |
| tax incentives (H20) | donations for international development (F35) |
| increased real income and favorable tax treatment (H31) | allocation of charitable giving towards development (D64) |
| super-rich contributions (D64) | development funding (O19) |