Published August 2, 2017
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Volunteering and Image Concerns
- Creators
- Linardi, Sera
- McConnell, Margaret A.
Abstract
We design an experiment to analyze the impact of image concerns and material incentives on volunteering. Our design retains the advantages of laboratory control while incorporating field context by engaging subjects in an actual nonprofit's operation. We find that working in a public setting significantly increases volunteering. Monetary incentives have little impact, although they are slightly more effective in a private setting. Our results suggest that organizations have more to gain by catering to volunteers' image concerns than by providing monetary benefits.
Additional Information
Alternate version dating to January 13, 2008. This research was funded by Hewlett Foundation Grant 06-8866. We would like to thank Jacob Goeree for his support of the project throughout. We would also like to thank Colin Camerer, John Ledyard, Tom Palfrey, Rosemarie Nagel, Ori Heffetz and Anat Bracha for constructive comments. Thanks to seminar participants at Caltech and Yale as well as at ESA, ARNOVA, and ASSA Annual Meeting for comments on earlier versions of this paper, especially to Rene Bekkers (ARNOVA) and Nicola Lacetera (ASSA) for serving as discussants. Finally, we would like to thank School on Wheels for their input and partnership.Attached Files
Submitted - sswp1282.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 79554
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20170728-144440439
- 06-8866
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
- Created
-
2017-08-02Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2019-10-03Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Social Science Working Papers
- Series Name
- Social Science Working Paper
- Series Volume or Issue Number
- 1282