Modelling Visible Altruism

Not all types of altruism are made equal. I examine the effect of social pressure on moral behaviour, building on the Economic Model of Moral Motivation by Brekke, Kverndokk, and Nyborg (2003). My primary contribution to the literature is in drawing the distinction between visible and invisible forms of moral effort, modelled as contributions to a public good, and showing that individuals must balance efficiency in their altruism against satisfying the social norms of those around them. I show that there will be underprovision of both visible and invisible moral effort and that individuals will always disproportionately engage in visible forms of moral effort