NO MAN IS AN ISLAND: SOCIAL DISTANCE, NETWORK FLOW, AND OTHER-REGARDING BEHAVIORS IN A NATURAL FIELD EXPERIMENT

Abstract

A natural field experiment is designed to explore the impacts of social distance and network flow on other-regarding behaviors. A greater degree of communication between the voluntary organization and volunteers was found to reduce their social distance and thereby improve volunteering commitment. The improvement was even more notable if the party initiating communication was the voluntary organization. Two other practical means of lessening social distance were for volunteers to learn more about other volunteers, and for information to be dispersed throughout the organization more rapidly. Additionally, this study shows a reversed “U-shaped” relationship between network flow and volunteering commitment.