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Consumers often set budgets with the goal to minimize their spending. Contrary to this traditional interpretation, our research suggests that budgets can take on a different psychological meaning depending on whether the budget is for a personal or gift purchase. Across 11 studies, we find that consumers aim to spend below their budgets for personal purchases (budget minimizing) but aim to spend the entirety of their budgets for gift purchases (budget maximizing). We differentiate budget maximizing from spending maximizing, showing that gift purchasers are more likely to prefer "at-budget" than "above-budget" purchases. We also show that gift purchasers have weaker savings goals than personal purchasers—a difference that mediates the effect on their budget-minimizing and -maximizing tendencies. We explore multiple reasons that could explain why savings goals are less prevalent among gift purchasers and find an upstream role for price consciousness, guilt, and perceived specialness. Finally, we find that consumers' preference for spending the entirety of their budgets on gifts was moderated by two separate factors: consumers' budget slack and salience. Our research adds to the literatures on mental budgeting, gift giving, and self-other decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the donors' register of the Zurich Bürgerbibliothek ('citizens' library') to explore how the collection of the city's first public library developed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The donors' register records over 3,000 gifts from some 900 local and foreign benefactors between 1629, the year of the library's founding, and 1769. Unlike a standard library or auction catalogue, the donors' register allows us to observe engagement with the Bürgerbibliothek over time and reveals that, while a remarkable influx of patrons in the first decade of the library's existence secured its position in the cultural and intellectual fabric of Zurich society, international interest in the institution dropped significantly by the end of the seventeenth century. Nevertheless, the Bürgerbibliothek's consistent growth across the period attests to the popularity of the library and its accessible collection at a local level as well as its benefactors' belief in the reciprocal value of patronising this new type of civic institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In some cultures, migrants bear an obligation to bring gifts from the foreign country for their relations when returning to their homeland. Why, and to what end? We examine the reasons for these transnational gift obligations in a multisite study of Ghanaian migrants in the United States and Australia, as well as people in Ghana with migrant relations living overseas. We adopt a wealth-centered perspective that problematizes the underexplored mutual impact of migrants and their gifts on social hierarchies within societies and transnational spatial hierarchies between societies. We show how the concepts of wealth in people and wealth in place connect with local gift economies to explain transnational gifting obligations. Specifically, informants use transnational gifts that embody wealth in place to acknowledge "being wealth" to people and to acquire wealth in others. We highlight the wealth in things that are exchanged as gift objects and the wealth in people who are exchanged as gift subjects between here and there. Our findings implicate a "glocal" gift economy that results from the global flows of things and people as gifts within transnational places of differing statuses. We discuss how this glocal gift economy (re)produces transnational spatial hierarchies and local (national) status hierarchies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior work shows that gift recipients are surprisingly insensitive to the amount of money givers spend, even though more expensive gifts represent a greater investment by givers and impart greater value to recipients. We suggest that recipients' apparent indifference may be explained by competing reactions to gift expenditure. Specifically, we propose that recipients are not unresponsive to gift expenditure, per se, but that money's association with instrumentality means that conspicuous monetary expenditures can cause recipients to contemplate givers' instrumental motives (i.e., become suspicious). Four studies show that large gift expenditures can cause recipients to become suspicious of givers' motives and that suspicion undermines recipients' otherwise positive reactions. We further show that expenditures that are less strongly associated with instrumentality (time and effort) and gifts that have a weaker association with money and instrumentality (experiential gifts) are less prone to suspicion and are appreciated more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gift giving has long intrigued and perplexed consumers and scholars alike. Of particular interest is when and why givers bestow gifts that miss the mark with recipients. The current meta‐analysis quantitatively investigates giver–recipient mismatches by empirically examining 153 unique effects from 114 studies across 29 papers. Results suggest that characteristics of the gifts, characteristics of the occasion, and characteristics of the giver/receiver in the gift exchange presented in the original studies affect the degree to which giver–recipient asymmetries are more/less pronounced. This research confirms a persistent disconnect between evaluations gift givers and recipients make about the exchanges in which they participate. This "Gift Gap" is exacerbated when the gift exchanged is sentimental in value, consumed privately, and when the exchange occurs between friends. These results provide some support for various theoretical perspectives hypothesized to explain these asymmetric evaluations. Finally, this research reveals the dearth of research focused on familial gift exchange, cultural differences in gift exchange, and gift exchange for unpleasant occasions or occasions unrelated to birthdays and holidays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper presents a framework that integrates 11 forms of voluntary payments as seemingly disparate as bribes and bequests, and gifts and gratuities to show that "voluntary" payments vary in the shades of gray not only in terms of how much like bribes they are but also in terms of how voluntary they actually are. We provocatively suggest that these payment types might be susceptible to becoming entrenched through self‐reinforcing norms because the voluntary payments are not necessarily voluntary and to an extent akin to bribes. Specifically, it provides an overarching framework to showcase the similarities and differences between bribes, lobbying efforts, suggested fees, pay what you want, tips, bequests, legacies, charity, crowdsourcing, dowry, and gifts, identifying gaps in domains that are under‐researched. Starting with the question as to whether a service has been, is being, or will be performed for the voluntary payment, and whether payments are made to an individual or a cause, the framework highlights the following: (1) the differences in the purpose underlying these payments, (2) the different modes of payment used; (3) the economic and social norms governing the payments; and (4) external and internal emotions associated with these payment types. The integrative framework allows for an amalgam of disparate literatures ranging from morality and behavioral pricing to charity and gift giving. The process model suggests a multitude of areas for future research in the domain of consumers' voluntary payment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper which comes under the theme of macro-historical perspectives and Mediterranean history I shall discuss the exchange of gifts in three sections: first between the Lusignan kings of Cyprus and the sultans of Mamluk Egypt and Syria, between the Lusignan kings and the Turkish emirs of Anatolia, and thirdly between the Venetian rulers of Cyprus, including Queen Catherine Cornaro, and the Mamluk sultans for the period postdating 1473. Many of these exchanges of gifts took place during times of war, sometimes during the prelude to hostilities and sometimes immediately after their end. In addition, exchanges of gifts between Christian and Muslim rulers occasionally took place at times of peace. The reasons why gifts were exchanged, the type of gifts exchanged when these are described, not an invariable occurrence, and the symbolism underlying these exchanges of gifts will also be analyzed where possible. Furthermore, occasions when the recipient refused to accept the gift and why it was rejected shall also be examined. Where possible, comparisons with the exchange of gifts taking place in other societies and countries of the Eastern Mediterranean will be alluded to and discussed. In terms of source materials, the Cypriot chronicles of the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries will form the principal source but reference shall also be made to diplomatic correspondence of the period under discussion. The exchanges of gifts normally took place within a diplomatic setting, this being the arrival of embassies, and gifts were sent sometimes to the close advisers of a ruler who could influence his policy and decision-making. On certain occasions, however, the exchanges of gifts could take place outside of this diplomatic context, for example as an expression of gratitude for assistance received. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rather, by considering gifts in transnational context they provide insight into how gift exchanges can operate on the same scale as market exchanges based on monetary exchange. Capitalism, gifts, reciprocity, markets, globalization, transnationalism Keywords: capitalism; gifts; reciprocity; markets; globalization; transnationalism EN capitalism gifts reciprocity markets globalization transnationalism 450 453 4 09/06/23 20230901 NES 230901 For nearly a century, anthropologists have been preoccupied with the gift. [Extracted from the article]

This study focuses on the gifts of animals travelling among the nobility of the Bohemian lands of the pre-White Mountain era. The animals donated are described on the basis of the letters that were sent along with them. In published and unpublished correspondence, 1,079 mentions of gift-giving were found, with animal gifts accounting for 596 cases. The main goal of the study is to explain the importance of animal gifts for the everyday symbolic communication of the pre-White Mountain nobility. Gift exchanges are viewed through the lens of social science theories of gift-giving, based mainly on the work of Marcel Mauss, which emphasizes the necessity of reciprocating the gift and the symbolic side of this social ritual. The donors and recipients found in the correspondence in most cases fell into established categories of early modern social relations. These were blood and non-blood relatives, neighbours, patrons or clients, and employers or servants. Animal donations are divided into live animals and dead animals in the study. Animals sent alive included horses and dogs. In both cases, these were animal species symbolically associated with nobles. Horses had formed a basis of aristocratic representation since antiquity, and gifts of hunting dogs indicated the privileged right of the nobility to hunt. The symbolic meanings of animals also played a role in the selection of dead animals given as gifts intended for consumption. Wild game was most often sent. Feathered game, small game, deer and black game could only be hunted by nobles or their huntsmen. Fish were also sent for preparation as food. In their case, the symbolic meaning could be seen in the wealth that fish-farming brought to the pre-White Mountain Estates. There were hierarchies of the symbolic values of gifts in individual animal species which are outlined in the study and compared with contemporary literature. Gifts of game and fish often accompanied feasts associated with rites of passage or the liturgical year. Gift-giving was part of the celebration ritual here. Even if the donor could not participate in the feast, the gift represented his person on a symbolic level. The most important motive for sending gifts appears to be an effort to maintain good relations between nobles, called „good friendship“ in the discourse of the time. Requests to hold the donor in remembrance and assurances of future repayment of donations appear regularly in the letters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais is the property of Centro de Estudos Sociais and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We explore the psychology involved with giving and receiving gift cards by studying givers' and recipients' preferences for digital versus physical gift cards. Across five studies, we demonstrate that givers are less likely to choose digital (vs. physical) gift cards than recipients are to prefer to receive them. The data suggest that this asymmetry occurs, in part, because givers overestimate the extent to which recipients see digital (vs. physical) gift cards as violating the social norms of gift‐giving. Indeed, givers' aversion to digital gift cards attenuates when they are less likely to perceive digital (vs. physical) gift cards as violating gift‐giving norms and when they are less attentive to such norms. This research adds to the gift‐giving literature by offering an initial foray into the tradeoff between digital and physical gifts, demonstrating a new instance in which givers' and recipients' preferences diverge, and documenting an underlying cause and boundary conditions of this asymmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work studies a novel perspective on gift‐giving research by examining the effect of the giver–recipient relationship on the recipient–brand relationship. A study examining gift exchanges in real‐life relationships and two laboratory experiments demonstrate that the effect of the recipient's relationship satisfaction with the gift giver on self‐brand connections and, consequently, on brand‐related behaviors is conditional on the durability of the gift. The findings are robust to manipulating the durability of the same product category and using durable and nondurable categories of the same (actual or fictitious) brand. This research offers important implications for managers who position their brands as desirable gifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the title indicates, the present work is to analyze and understand the traditional practice of gift-giving among the Konyak of the Tobu area. In recent years, many changes have taken place in the social and cultural front that resulted in the giving up of traditional practices such as animism, tattooing, etc. However, the tradition of gift-giving is among the few that have survived among the people. Gift-giving is an intriguing and universal practice found in all societies which are still yet to be interpreted by social scientists and anthropologists have always been fascinated by it. The value of gift-giving usually reflects the weight of a relationship. The value of gift-giving can be balanced with respect to the social positions of both the donor and recipients. It is a practice that integrates a society and this practice can be seen among the people of the Konyak tribe. The gift locally known as lah-suk is a pig thigh. It is usually given to the woman of one's family who is already married to another man from a different family. The problem is thus to understand how this practice of gift-giving has its place in the Konyak society. The goal is to understand the paradigm of such practice by applying the method of observation and interview and by supplementing it with secondary sources. The result of this study is the discovery of its importance in relation to marriage and family, and the position of women in contemporary Konyak society. By studying the traditional practice and tampering with the anthropological perspective, one's own understanding can be enriched in the understanding of the gift-giving practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Islamic & Religious Studies / Majallah-yi ʿUlūm-i Islāmiyyah va Dīniyyah is the property of University of Haripur, Pakistan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article explores the intersection that exists between the economy and intimacy through an exploration of gift exchanges between Latin American sex workers and regular clients in London. It engages with scholarship on sex work and intimacy to explore the social dimension of gifts embedded in affective commodified relationships. It explores the ways in which gifts create socioeconomic and emotional spheres of speculation that contribute to the achievement of women's migration dreams. Tracing gift exchanges in sex work offers an opportunity to examine the development of relationships that emerge from intimate sexual transactions and to look at the ways in which gift exchanges in sex work constrain or enable women's social, economic, and emotional aspirations for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This thesis examines the notions of gift and gratuity present in the social magisterium of Benedict XVI, in order to study the reception and scope that these concepts have had in the works of Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC) carried out in the Hispanic American area, from 2009 to 2019. It also seeks to know if the treatment of the gift in the Social Doctrine of the Church, from the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, through the encyclical letter Caritas in veritate to include the Messages for the World Day of Peace, shows some influence of contemporary discussion of the gift in the field of the social sciences. The work carried out allows us to notice the significant consideration that the notions of gift and gratuity have had in the social magisterium of Benedict XVI and how these notions have motivated the realization of a series of subsequent studies. However, neither gift nor gratuitousness are isolated concepts, but rather these notions have been presented by Benedict XVI within a proposal for a paradigm shift, theologically based on the Trinitarian relations of God. It is about the notion of relationality «within» the perspective of the great human family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing social support is a critical part of being in a relationship with someone, but people often struggle to support loved ones in person. In this paper, we show how givers can use gifts to compensate for not providing in‐person social support. Study 1 shows that when it is prohibitively difficult for givers to provide in‐person support, they give more expensive gifts. Study 2 replicates this effect for likelihood to give a gift and shows it is not due to social desirability. Studies 3, 4a, and 4b find that guilt over not having provided adequate support drives people to give gifts, and that giving gifts partially relieves givers' feelings of guilt. Studies 5 and 6 examine moderation. In Study 5, people only compensate for a lack of in‐person support with a gift when they have a strong obligation to support the recipient because they are close to them. Study 6 shows that money does not substitute for in‐person support. We show the role of gifts in enhancing givers' wellbeing and provide new customer insights to managers on reasons people purchase gifts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article employs the prism of gift-exchange to analyse the marginalised status of singles within social relations. We trace an emerging critique voiced by single women, who challenge the unilateral etiquette of gifting marital and family-making celebrations. While dominant social norms normalise gift-giving at weddings and subsequent family-related occasions, there are no commensurable opportunities for singles to receive back their accumulative investments in the life events of others. Drawing on various online sources, we explore the discursive articulations through which single women highlight the unfairness that underpins their position as constant givers. We show how single women manage the social risks that such public complaints entail, and how they claim to be worthy receivers themselves. This article offers singlehood as a valuable case study for engaging with broader questions concerning reciprocity – specifically, what happens when reciprocal gifting is not an established norm within ostensibly reciprocal social relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research has shed light on the what to give facet of gift‐giving; that is, which types of products should consumers give as gifts? However, little research has investigated the how to give component of gift‐giving; that is, holding the gift itself constant, how should it be given? In the present work, we explore the messaging aspect of how to give, thereby expanding the gift‐giving literature. Specifically, we investigate gift‐givers' and gift‐recipients' preferences regarding the practice of earmarking cash gifts (i.e., suggesting that a cash gift be used on a particular product). Across multiple studies, we demonstrate that givers are less likely to earmark cash gifts than recipients prefer, because givers view earmarking as less thoughtful compared to recipients. Moreover, consistent with a thoughtfulness account, we show that givers are more likely to earmark in situations where they view earmarking as thoughtful. We conclude by discussing how our work offers a unique contribution to the gift‐giving literature (as it is the first to document a giver‐recipient asymmetry involving how to give), suggests that givers should earmark cash gifts more often, and clears many paths for future research (on other potential giver‐recipient asymmetries tied to how to give). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is the discussion about the perception and identity construction reflected in the act of gift giving under the context of a loving relationship. Therefore, we used a theoretical framework based on identity and gift giving. In its methodology, we use of an interpretative approach based on the technical analysis procedures from the Grounded Theory proposed by Charmaz. Design/methodology/approach: 26 interviews were conducted with 15 men and women who declare themselves committed in romantic relationships, which resulted in approximately 21 hours of recording. Research, Practical & Social implications: The paper contributes to consumption studies because focus on the behavioral relationship of a couple, going beyond the common place of studies focused on individualized consumption. Originality/value: As a result, the paper presents two theoretical schemes that debate, respectively, the formation of the couple's identity and the evolution of the act of gift giving in a context of loving relationship, resulting in a final debate about the formation of the couple's identity as a process that occurs concurrently with the increase in the symbolic level of the gifts, reflecting this construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gift expenses escalated in China in the last decades with rapid economic growth and account for a substantial share of household expenditures. Rising gift expenses signal good friendships and facilitate reciprocity, which may enhance one's subjective wellbeing. However, increasing gift giving may also exacerbate the financial burden of households and thus has adverse welfare implications. This study examines how escalating gift expenses impact individuals' subjective happiness by using data from the China Family Panel Studies. Findings suggest that an increase in the ratio of gift expenses to household income can significantly decrease one's subjective happiness by crowding out other consumption items and harming psychological health. Overall, this study offers new insights into informal social networks maintained by gift giving, which may adversely affect household welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines gift-giving within the Persian empire and its perception in Greek literary sources. Gift-giving in the Greek world was often framed in the language of friendship, and Greek authors subsequently articulated Persian traditions using the language and cultural norms of their intended audience. There were fundamental differences in the concepts of gift-exchange and reciprocity between the Greeks and the Persians. This article will examine Persian traditions of gift-giving followed by Greek traditions of gift-giving, and will argue that the Greek misrepresentation of Persian customs led to numerous misunderstandings in relations between Greek and Persian individuals. The use of Greek descriptive language, rather than more accurate terminology, to describe Persian traditions has hindered our understanding of gift-giving in the Persian empire. In addressing these misconceptions, this article will demonstrate the successful use of gift-giving in the Persian empire and the perils of Greek misrepresentation of foreign customs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This conclusion to the forum on diplomatic gifts goes on to note two historical types of such gifts. They are, first, fostering of a royal child at another royal court and, second, royal and noble marriage exchanges. Using these examples as a stepping stone, this essay goes on to formulate a co-ordination system of giver and receiver assessments of gift value, ranging from low to high. This yields four types of gifts: personalised gifts (low value to giver, high value to receiver); unique gifts (high value to both parties); culturally irrelevant gifts (high value to giver, low value to receiver) and fluff (low value to both parties). The essay hypothesises that polities that approach one another in a situation of contacts with low density will tend to aim for unique gifts, while polities whose relations are dense will aim for gifts that are of equal value to both parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al-Mustansiriya Journal of Arts is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: This paper aims to examine coping approaches used by receivers to deal with failed gift experiences, thereby dealing with misperceptions between givers and receivers that could affect their relationship. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a sequential, multimethod methodology using background questionnaires, online diary method and 27 semi-structured interviews. Findings: Receivers cope with failed gift experiences through concealing, disclosing or re-evaluating the gift experience. These approaches encompass several coping strategies, allowing receivers to deal with their experiences in ways that help them manage their relationships with givers. Research limitations/implications: Informants described gift experiences in their own terms without being prompted to talk about coping, thus some insights of coping with failed gifts may have been missed. Multiple data collection methods were used to minimise this limitation, and the research findings suggest new avenues for future research. Practical implications: The present research helps retailers and brands to minimise gift failure by promoting gifts that emphasise aspects of the giver–receiver relationship, assists givers in their learning from gift failure by making them aware of the receiver's preferences and reduces the cost of gift failure by offering further opportunities to dispose of unwanted gifts. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the emerging topic of consumer coping by providing a novel and rounded understanding of coping in the context of failed gift events, identifying new reasons for gift failure, highlighting receivers' ethical considerations when responding to failed gifts and proposing new insights for the coping literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Al Malweah for Archaeological & Historical Studies is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There have been relatively few analyses of Muslim women's veiling practices in the Finnish context. This paper examines some micro-dynamics of women's veiling-related practices in the Greater Helsinki area. Gift theory and research, deriving from the original insights of Marcel Mauss, are used to understand the multiple layers of significance that are involved when veiling garments are passed on as gifts from one woman to another, or from a group of women to a recipient. While forms of politics are involved in such processes, the giving of veiling garments also works to create intimate forms of social bonding, encompassing familial, friendship and community elements. The "gifting" of hijabs can establish, maintain, reform or repair relationships between Muslim women, and between the latter and non-Muslim women. The paper considers gifting of garments between Muslims, from Muslims to Finnish (would-be) converts, and from non-Muslim Finns to Finnish converts. While veiling garments are widely understood to be in various ways problems, when such objects are gifted by women to each other, they may also be experienced and narrated as solutions to socially-shaped challenges, affording transitions towards more manageable social situations. The gifting of Islamic garments often figures as a means not only for donors to influence recipients, but also for both donors and recipients to finesse potentially troubling or awkward social scenarios. Cheaper, mass-produced garments seem to be particularly chosen and passed on by donors who seem to be aiming at influencing recipients' conduct, in the direction of adopting stricter forms of dress and religious observance. Conversely, the choosing of more expensive, bespoke garments is more associated with maintaining or repairing relationships between donors and recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gift has been a subject of interest in sociology and anthropology especially since the seminal work of Marcel Mauss, who argued that gift giving is never free. The present paper shall focus on unofficial gifts Dimitrie Cantemir observed and reported in his History of the Ottoman Empire. Cantemir mentions two forms of unofficial gifts that gave rise to reciprocal exchange: peşkeş and bahşiş. The first one of these was a diplomatic gift of great value, a gift of investiture, which was offered to the Sultan and his high ranking officials by the tributary states, Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania and exchanged for insignia. The second one, in Cantemir's words was' a gift not bestowed out of mere kindness but a customary gift', given by the Sultan to the Janissaries, in return for which the Sultan received loyalty and solidarity. Cantemir, as a keen and objective observer, was able to distinguish between official and unofficial gift exchanges in the Ottoman Empire, to diagnose the functions of peşkeş and bahşiş and to decipher the cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, Wales introduced a deemed consent: soft opt-out system for organ procurement in order to address the chronic shortage of organs for transplant. Early statistical evidence suggests that this has had a positive impact on cadaveric organ donation. Such a system for procurement has previously been dismissed by the Organ Donation Taskforce, who suggested that opting out could potentially undermine the concept of donated organs as gifts and this could then negatively impact the number of organs offered for transplant. Considerable weight was placed upon the need to retain the altruistic gift element associated with an opt-in system. This article will consider the role of altruism in an organ procurement policy. A broad utilitarian approach will be taken when putting forward the arguments in favour of adopting a weak altruism position in a soft opt-out system for procurement with a combined registry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People rely on support from others to accomplish mundane and momentous tasks. When asking for assistance, is it beneficial to incentivize a helper by offering a motivated gift (i.e., a gift with the hope of getting support in return)? Six studies (N > 2,500) examine the frequency and potential costs of motivated gifts. In Study 1, a third of Americans indicated that they had given a motivated gift at least once, while nearly two‐thirds believed they had received one. In Studies 2a–d, most participants who imagined receiving a motivated gift before a favor request reported lower willingness to help and anticipated satisfaction from helping than participants who imagined simply being asked for a favor. Finally, Study 3 replicates these findings with actual help provided among friends in a laboratory setting. Findings suggest that motivated gifts are relatively common but may sometimes undermine the assistance that people hope to receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To describe experiences, feelings and reactions of general practitioners (GPs) to the very first patient gift in the career, considering the impact on physician-patient relation (PPR). Methods A representative sample of the Croatian GPs (N=265) filled in a supervised paper-based, researcher-led questionnaire. The response rate was 95.7%. Three independent analysts coded and analysed respondents' descriptions. The results were analysed using the descriptive statistics, X²-test, and f-coefficient of correlation. Results The GPs received the very first patient's gift (FG) already as students (2.6%), during internship (41.5%), and at the latest after being a doctor for one year. After 2-42 years of practice, 95.1% of GPs described their FGs. Typical gifts were coffee and/or sweets (66%). Dominant feeling of GPs on receiving the FG was discomfort (33%); only 22% felt good; just 26% reacted with composure. The outcome regarding the physician-patient relationship (PPR) ranged from the debacle (9%), through mutual discomfort (13%) or a routine reaction (38%), to smiles and mutual pleasure (40%). In 18% they tried to behave properly, considering the patient's best interest, despite their own discomfort. In 29% of cases, the patient took the role of teacher, supporting the young physician. The PPR was not improved in 3/5 of cases where the FG was described. Conclusion Receiving the FG is an impressive and deeply touching event, remembered many years afterwards. Without prior instructions, Croatian GPs mostly reacted in a confused manner. The missed opportunity of improving PPR in 60%, and patients' help instead of teachers' suggest the need for education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diplomatic presents were far from constituting a meaningless formality in early modern times. The malleability of the meaning that actors assigned to these presents made them, on the contrary, an essential political element that could, simultaneously, be a source of misunderstanding. Drawing on the contributions of the "new" diplomatic history, global history, and connected history, this article suggests ways of thinking about diplomatic gifts. The specificity of the exchange of presents taking place in the Eurasian space is also analyzed in the context of the "first globalization". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folklore Studies / Tautosakos Darbai is the property of Institute of Lithuanian Literature & Folklore and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The political modernization in Nepal accelerated since 1951 when the country changed its course owing to a popular movement that was acclaimed as the beginning of democracy in the country. However, the governments continued cultural and political homogenization. This has been so in the case of local governance practices as well. Modern governing structures/institutions are guided by the state formed policies and elite-based power structures despite the fact that different ethnic groups in Nepal have their own traditional self-governance systems. In this context, this article unfolds the inheritance of traditional practices of the Tamang community (one of the major ethnic groups of Nepal), in a village, in the district adjoining Kathmandu valley, within the modern structures of governance of forest and school management systems. The paper argues that there is a legacy of the traditional institution, the Choho, though the system of Choho itself has now largely disappeared. This paper, based on ethnographic fieldwork, presents the accounts of Choho and examples of how the particular norms, values, beliefs, and practices are still in practice challenging and denying the modern/state formed mechanisms of governing the forests and schools in the village. The paper further argues that given the modern governance system, the traditional souvenir exchange practice that was rooted in the notion of honour and respect has now shifted towards the practice of giving and receiving gifts based upon the principle of reciprocal benefits that could be described as a bribe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights l We model the causes and welfare impacts of the competition of gift giving. l We study gift competition and its impacts by using a unique database in China. l People respond to the average cost of gifts given in their community. l The escalation of gift giving has adverse welfare impacts. l Increasing gift expenditures squeeze spending on other consumption items. Abstract In many developing countries, gift expenses escalate with income growth and account for a substantial share of household expenditure. We develop a theoretical model to demonstrate how (unequal) income growth may trigger "gift competition" and drive up the financial burden associated with gift exchange. We use unique census-type panel data from rural China to test our model predictions and demonstrate that (1) the value of gifts responds to the average gift in the community, (2) the escalation of gift giving may have adverse welfare implications (especially for the poor), and (3) escalating gift expenses crowd out expenditures on other consumption items. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: The movie itself was not intended (at least consciously so) to be a Christmas story, yet it is a story of the I birth of consciousness of George Bailey on Christmas Eve i to the miracle of having been born. The movie builds upon the story that Stern wrote by adding the story of George's life and particular significant events that contribute to his situation. At the beginning of the movie, we learn about George's despair as his story is told to Clarence, so that he might intervene before George jumps off the bridge. George tells Clarence that he wishes he had never been born, and in a moment of brilliance, Clarence grants him his wish and George learns what the lives of his loved ones would be if he had never existed.

Parents often provide generous financial transfers to their adult children, perhaps assisting with college expenses, recognizing major life course events, or cushioning against negative financial shocks. Because resources are limited, a transfer made to one child likely affects transfers made to others in the family. Despite such possibilities, data limitations have led previous authors to focus almost exclusively on a single type of transfer made at a single point in time. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examine the relationships among parental transfers for college and later cash transfers to all children within a family. We find that parents typically spend differentially on the postsecondary schooling of their children but find no evidence that this differential spending is offset by later cash transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the shifting discourse and visual rhetoric of consumer rituals in the cultural media during wartime. Specifically, we examine Japanese newspaper advertisements for seasonal gifts and sympathy gifts in urban cities published between 1937 and 1940. This research addresses two questions: (1) how were advertising arguments constructed justifying spending for gifts while instructing readers on being thrifty during the wartime material shortages, and (2) how was the consumer ritual practice of gift giving used to propagate nationalism? The results of our iconographic-semiotic analysis show four advertising themes: compatibility with national policy, timeliness under the wartime circumstances, empathy with families whose members were serving at the front, and sympathy with those serving at the front. The advertisements enhanced nationalism in two ways: (1) through the promotion of nationalistic gift giving, and (2) by appealing to patriotism, which involves emotionally laden nationalistic sentiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pharmaceutical companies spend large amounts of money promoting their products to physicians. There is evidence that physicians' interactions with pharmaceutical companies negatively affect their prescribing patterns. The objective of this study was to systematically review the extent of the relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical companies in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: Studies assessing the extent of any type of interaction between practicing physicians and pharmaceutical companies were eligible. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases in July 2016. Reviewers worked in duplicate and independently to complete study selection, data abstraction and assessment of methodological features. We summarized the findings narratively. Results: We included 11 eligible studies (7 quantitative and 4 qualitative). Quantitative studies found that pharmaceutical company representatives visited at least 90% of physicians. Printed material, stationery items and drug samples were the most frequently received gifts. Two of the studies assessing direct payment found percentages of 16 and 5%, respectively. Findings of qualitative studies were consistent with those of quantitative studies. In addition, they revealed an increasing tendency for pharmaceutical companies to provide expensive personal gifts, sponsor social events and offer cash as inducements to physicians based on their demands. They also identified building personal relationships, creating a sense of indebtedness and emotional blackmailing as commonly used techniques to influence physicians. Conclusion: A relatively high percentage of physicians in LMICs interact with pharmaceutical companies. Findings have implications for policy and practice, given the current extent of interaction is likely affecting the prescribing habits and professional behaviour of physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What produces the ability within us to face the possibility of dying for a cause to which we adhere? Such political commitment backs onto the issue of sacrifice, which, in turn, inhabits the world of a gift economy. The gift of the political opens onto a series of questions tied to different traditions of the sacred and of the clan. From biblical parables through to Confucian rites, the paper traces the various pathways enabling the emergence of the gift of the political. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, thousands of Malawians received soap from an American research project as a gift for survey participation. Soap was deemed an ethical, non-coercive gift by researchers and ethics boards, but took on meanings that expressed recipients' grievances and aspirations. Research participants reframed soap and research benefits as "rights" they are entitled to, wages for "work," and a symbol of exploitation. Enlisting the perspectives of Malawi's ethics board, demographers, Malawian fieldworkers, and research participants, I describe how soap is spoken about and operates in research worlds. I suggest that neither a prescriptive nor a situated frame for ethics-with their investments in standardization and attention to context, respectively-provides answers about how to compensate Malawian research participants. The conclusion gestures toward a reparative framework for thinking ethics that is responsive not just to project-based parameters but also to the histories and political economy in which projects (and ethics) are situated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gifts are a major part of both economic and social life. This intertwined relationship between the market and moral economies has long been unsettling to those concerned about rationalized marketplace meanings contaminating and eroding the sacred social role of gift giving. Consumer researchers have analysed the important relationship work done through gift giving in the moral economy and the ways that the marketplace facilitates such work (or not). However, little has explored when, how, and why a store bought gift, rather than a homemade one, actually became acceptable. This article uses three case studies from the early to mid-1800s to trace the rise of the store bought gift in the American marketplace. It highlights how the sociocultural context, marketing innovations, retailers, and meanings surrounding gifting all helped to ensconce gift giving as both a central component in the contemporary marketplace and a tool for symbolic communication in social life. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Interpersonal relationships are essential to well-being, and gifts are often given to cultivate these relationships. To inform gift givers of what to give and to gain insight into the connecting function of gifts, this research investigates what type of gift is better at strengthening relationships according to gift recipients-material gifts (objects for recipients to keep) or experiential gifts (events for recipients to live through). Experiments examining actual gift exchanges in real-life relationships reveal that experiential gifts produce greater improvements in relationship strength than material gifts, regardless of whether the gift giver and recipient consume the gift together. The relationship improvements that recipients derive from experiential gifts stem from the intensity of emotion that is evoked when they consume the gifts, rather than when the gifts are received. Giving experiential gifts is thus identified as a highly effective form of prosocial spending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]