Charity begins at home? Setting a future research agenda for national identity and charitable ethnocentrism

Abstract

PurposeThis conceptual paper is designed to act as a catalyst for further debate and research surrounding the relationship between national identity and donor behaviour. Whereas much research has investigated how consumer ethnocentrism impacts upon purchase decisions, this conversation has not been extended into the realm of charitable giving. Given the current political and economic debates surrounding immigration policy and European Union membership, the issue of how national identity impacts upon charitable choice appears more pertinent than ever.

Understanding the Correlates of Donor Intention: A Comparison of Local, National, and International Charity Destinations

“…The current study provides a comprehensive analysis of the correlates of donation intention to local, national and international charities (we term this donation destination). This builds upon recent calls for a greater understanding of how donors choose between charities based upon destination (Hart, 2016) and previous work on domestic versus international giving (Micklewright & Schnepf, 2009;Casale & Baumann, 2015;Knowles & Sullivan, 2017).…”

“…The current study provides a comprehensive analysis of the correlates of donation intention to local, national, and international charities (we term this donation destination). This builds upon recent calls for a greater understanding of how donors choose between charities based upon destination (Hart, 2016) and previous work on domestic versus international giving (Casale & Baumann, 2015;Knowles & Sullivan, 2017;Micklewright & Schnepf, 2009). Existing research provides an understanding of why donors support charitable causes (with reasons straddling personal values and experiences, faith, sense of moral obligation, and warm-glow effects: Ottoni-Wilhelm et al, 2017), but research on preferred donation destination is largely lacking (a recent exception being Knowles & Sullivan, 2017).…”

Exploring the role of charitable ethnocentrism and donation motives in international giving: Empirical evidence from Germany

“…However, due to the strong focus on economic issues, using consumer ethnocentrism to capture domestic versus international charities' preferences may not be appropriate (Hart & Robson, 2019). First, donation decisions are motivated by various factors, and economic concerns are unlikely to be the key donation motivation (Hart, 2016). Second and contrary to Shimp and Sharma's (1987) definition, it is not clear whether donations to foreign recipients can be considered immoral in the same way as the purchase of foreign brands can be construed (Hart, 2016).…”

“…First, donation decisions are motivated by various factors, and economic concerns are unlikely to be the key donation motivation (Hart, 2016). Second and contrary to Shimp and Sharma's (1987) definition, it is not clear whether donations to foreign recipients can be considered immoral in the same way as the purchase of foreign brands can be construed (Hart, 2016). Hence, and as a substitute for consumer ethnocentrism, Hart and Robson (2019) have developed a construct named charitable ethnocentrism that captures a home-country bias in donation behavior.…”

“…Hence, and as a substitute for consumer ethnocentrism, Hart and Robson (2019) have developed a construct named charitable ethnocentrism that captures a home‐country bias in donation behavior. Charitable ethnocentrism is defined as “ an individual's preference to support charitable causes that serve beneficiaries within their own nation or national group ” (Hart, 2016, p. 140).…”