Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP7087
Authors: Tony Atkinson; Peter G. Backus; John Micklewright; Cathy Pharoah; Sylke V. Schnepf
Abstract: Charitable giving for overseas development and emergency relief is important in the UK, being about a quarter of the size of government development aid. There has been a strong growth over time, reflecting the activities of development charities and the public response to a series of humanitarian emergencies. This paper examines how individual overseas giving has changed over the quarter century since 1978, using a newly constructed panel data set on donations to individual UK charities. When did the increase take place? Did the public respond to events such as Live Aid? Or has there been a steady upward trend as our society became more globalised? What form did the increase in giving take? Which charities have grown fastest? Have new charities displaced old? How do changes in giving for overseas compare with changes in giving for other causes such as cancer relief or animal welfare? What, if any, is the relation with Official Development Assistance?
Keywords: charitable giving; overseas development; philanthropy; UK
JEL Codes: D12; D64; F35; L31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Historical events such as the Ethiopian famine (H84) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Public awareness of global issues (F69) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) | Trends in charitable donations (D64) |
| Government grants to development charities (F35) | Private donations (D64) |
| Live Aid events (F35) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Surge in donations during the mid-1980s (H84) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Stagnation in donations (D64) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Renewed growth post-1997 (O49) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Varying growth rates among individual charities (D64) | Charitable giving for overseas development (F35) |
| Concentration of donations (D30) | Competitive landscape among charities (L31) |