THE PRIVATE PROVISION OF PUBLIC-GOODS - ALTRUISM AND VOLUNTARY GIVING

A unique data set on exact giving by individual households for the sup port of a rural hearth care facility is used to examine the determinan ts of charitable giving, including the role of altruism. We examine wh ether a household's decision to give or not give and the amount it giv es are influenced in the same or different ways by the household's cha racteristics and economic circumstances. We also examine whether a hou sehold's 'altruistic history' affects its current giving decisions.