本文探討台灣家庭父母與子女間的財富贈與行爲。我們發現，台灣父母接受子女金錢餽贈的比例相當高，是美國資料的十倍以上。資料顯示，這樣的巨大差異來自於社會規範下的孝親行爲。因此，有固定收入的子女傾向於提供孝親費。然而與美國類似的是，經濟條件較佳的父母不僅拿取較少的孝親費，甚至會提供子女金錢方面的幫助。根據實證上的觀察，我們建構一個可用來解釋台灣家庭特徵的理論模型。

We study inter-vivos transfers between elderly parents and their children in Taiwan. We find that transfers from children to parents are almost 10 times more common in Taiwan than in the U.S. Our data suggests that this stark discrepancy is due to filial piety. The mere fact that children are employed is the most substantial predictor of transfers from children to parents. Similar to the U.S., however, wealthier parents are less likely to receive transfers and more likely to give. Based on these two key features we propose a first step towards a theory of the family in Taiwan. Children are obliged to transfer a fraction of their labor income to parents. Parents have altruistic preferences which can override this social norm. As a result, transfers from children to parents are common but do not occur in wealthier families.