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Do community needs affect the decision to volunteer? The case of refugees in Germany

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  • Annalisa Tassi

Abstract

I study the relationship between changes in community needs and the supply of voluntary work. I present basic theoretical considerations, which suggest that the relationship between voluntary work and an increase in community needs is ambiguous. Then, I test the relationship empirically by proxying community needs with the number of needy people, i.e., refugees, in a county, and by exploiting the quasi-experiment of refugees’ allocation within Germany. I find that doubling the number of refugees increases the probability of volunteering by about 2 percentage points. These estimates imply that 1.45 million people additionally volunteered during the refugee crisis, i.e., more than one person per refugee.

Suggested Citation

  • Annalisa Tassi, 2024. "Do community needs affect the decision to volunteer? The case of refugees in Germany," Working Papers 238, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    • Handle: RePEc:bav:wpaper:238_annalisa_tassi.rdf
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    JEL classification:

    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • H49 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Other

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