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Giving and promising gifts: Experimental evidence on reciprocity from the field

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  • Brock, J. Michelle
  • Lange, Andreas
  • Leonard, Kenneth L.

Abstract

We test the value of unconditional non-monetary gifts as a way to improve health worker performance in a low income country health setting. We randomly assigned health workers to different gift treatments within a program that visited health workers, measured performance and encouraged them to provide high quality care for their patients. We show that unconditional non-monetary gifts improve performance by 20 percent over a six-week period, compared to the control group. We compare the impact of the unconditional gift to one in which a gift is offered conditional on meeting a performance target and show that only the unconditional gift results in a statistically significant improvement. This demonstrates that organizations can improve the performance of health workers in the medium term without using financial incentives.

Suggested Citation

  • Brock, J. Michelle & Lange, Andreas & Leonard, Kenneth L., 2018. "Giving and promising gifts: Experimental evidence on reciprocity from the field," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 188-201.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:58:y:2018:i:c:p:188-201
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.02.007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mark E. McGovern & Kobus Herbst & Frank Tanser & Tinofa Mutevedzi & David Canning & Dickman Gareta & Deenan Pillay & Till Bärnighausen, 2016. "Do Gifts Increase Consent to Home-based HIV Testing? A Difference-in-Differences Study in Rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," CHaRMS Working Papers 16-05, Centre for HeAlth Research at the Management School (CHaRMS).
    2. Kandul, Serhiy & Lanz, Bruno & Reins, Evert, 2023. "Reciprocity and gift exchange in markets for credence goods," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 52-69.
    3. Christiane Bradler & Susanne Neckermann, 2019. "The Magic of the Personal Touch: Field Experimental Evidence on Money and Appreciation as Gifts," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 121(3), pages 1189-1221, July.
    4. Bauhoff,Sebastian Peter Alexander & Kandpal,Eeshani, 2021. "Information, Loss Framing, and Spillovers in Pay-for-Performance Contracts," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9687, The World Bank.
    5. Okeke, Edward N., 2022. "Playing defense? Health care in the era of Covid," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    6. Ding, Hui & Chen, Yiwei & Yu, Min & Zhong, Jieming & Hu, Ruying & Chen, Xiangyu & Wang, Chunmei & Xie, Kaixu & Eggleston, Karen, 2021. "The Effects of Chronic Disease Management in Primary Health Care: Evidence from Rural China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Bradler, Christiane & Neckermann, Susanne, 2016. "The magic of the personal touch: Field experimental evidence on money appreciation as gifts," ZEW Discussion Papers 16-043, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    C93; I1; J41; O1; Gift exchange; Reciprocity; Health care; Field experiment; Tanzania;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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