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Selfish bakers, caring nurses? A model of work motivation

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  • Brekke, Kjell Arne
  • Nyborg, Karine

Abstract

Work contributes to people’s self-image in important ways. We propose a model in which individuals have a preference for being important to others. This leads to the following predictions: 1) In fully competitive markets with performance pay, behavior coincides with the standard model (bakers). 2) In jobs where e¤ort is not rewarded according to its social marginal value, behavior is more socially bene…cial than predicted by the standard model (nurses). 3) Even if unemployment bene…ts provide full income compensation, many workers’ utility strictly decreases when losing their job. 4) Similarly, many workers will prefer to work rather than to live o¤ welfare, even with full income compensation. 5) To keep shirkers out of the public sector, nurses’wages must be strictly lower than private sector income. At this wage level, however, the public sector will be too small. 6) It is possible to attract motivated workers to the public sector, without simultaneously attracting shirkers, through capital input improving nurses’opportunity to do a good job.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization.

Volume (Year): 75 (2010)
Issue (Month): 3 (September)
Pages: 377-394

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Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:75:y:2010:i:3:p:377-394

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jebo

Related research

Keywords: Self-image Shirking Altruism Work versus welfare Voluntary effort provision;

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References

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Citations

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Cited by:
  1. Jacobsen, Karin J. & Eika, Kari H. & Helland, Leif & Lind, Jo Thori & Nyborg, Karine, 2011. "Are nurses more altruistic than real estate brokers?," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 818-831.
  2. Margaretha Buurman & Robert Dur, 2008. "Incentives and the Sorting of Altruistic Agents into Street-Level Bureaucracies," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 08-113/1, Tinbergen Institute, revised 14 Oct 2010.
  3. Nyborg, Karine, 2011. "I don't want to hear about it: Rational ignorance among duty-oriented consumers," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(3), pages 263-274, August.
  4. Delfgaauw, Josse & Dur, Robert & Propper, Carol & Smith, Sarah L., 2011. "Management practices: Are not for profits different?," CEPR Discussion Papers 8498, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  5. Biel, Anders & Johansson-Stenman, Olof & Nilsson, Andreas, 2011. "The Willingness to Pay-Willingness to Accept Gap Revisited: The Role of Emotions and Moral Satisfaction," Working Papers in Economics 497, University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics.
  6. Sabrina Teyssier, 2008. "Les Modes de Rémunération comme Mécanismes Sélectifs de la Main d’oeuvre : Fondements Théoriques et Estimations Empiriques," Working Papers 0818, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique (GATE), Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Université Lyon 2, Ecole Normale Supérieure.
  7. Sabrina Teyssier, 2008. "Les Modes de Rémunération comme MécanismesSélectifs de la Main d'oeuvre : Fondements Théoriques et Estimations Empiriques," Post-Print halshs-00303703, HAL.

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