An Institutional Economics of Gift?

Abstract

In this article we will try to show the research potential of an institutional interpretation of the gift, a perspective that we have tentatively called an Institutional Economics of Gift (IEG). Such a research perspective aims to build up a possible common ground between two fields study: inquiries of the gift and Institutional Economics. Though gift and giftgiving are ubiquitous and usually governed by institutions like social norms, habits and customs and sometimes enforced by some sort of moral obligation or even legal sanction, we cannot immediately combine these two academic debates without providing a preliminary analysis of the overlapping zones and lines of tension between them. For this purpose, we dwell on two key issues that any research perspective is expected to address: the subject matter and the method. Without any claim to exhaustiveness, the subject matter of an IEG will be explored through the analysis of three important forms of institutionalized giftgiving: the welfare state, the third sector and the percentage philanthropy tax scheme. All of them raise the issue: to what extent can gift-giving be institutionalized and even legally enforced without losing some of its characteristics such as spontaneity, freedom and/or voluntariness? Moreover, this investigation points to the need to reflect more on the relationship between obligation and freedom as well as to go beyond the State/Market dichotomy. In the second half, methods will be explored by addressing the question: which methodological approaches are most suitable for an IEG? Methodology is a contentious issue between Original Institutional Economics and New Institutional Economics. However, both approaches, New Institutional Economics implicitly and Original Institutional Economics explicitly, tend to rely on qualitative and mixed empirical research methods.

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