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The Productivity of Volunteer Labour: DEA-Based Evidence from Italy

In: Paid and Unpaid Labour in the Social Economy. An International Perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Sergio Destefanis

    (Università di Salerno)

  • Ornella Wanda Maietta

    (Università di Napoli Federico II)

Abstract

This paper analyses the relatively novel concept of a downward-sloping demand for volunteer labour, using data from the Italian social services sector. Both descriptive and econometric evidence shows that the price of volunteer labour (proxied by its shadow price obtained through DEA) is negatively related to the number of volunteer hours. Furthermore, the demand for volunteer labour is higher in areas relatively well endowed with social capital, where there is also evidence that organizations refrain from substituting volunteers for paid workers when the latter become more expensive. This finding has some relevance for the debate on economic and social convergence across European regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Sergio Destefanis & Ornella Wanda Maietta, 2009. "The Productivity of Volunteer Labour: DEA-Based Evidence from Italy," AIEL Series in Labour Economics, in: Marco Musella & Sergio Destefanis (ed.), Paid and Unpaid Labour in the Social Economy. An International Perspective, edition 1, chapter 9, pages 143-164, AIEL - Associazione Italiana Economisti del Lavoro.
    • Handle: RePEc:ail:chapts:03-09
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    File URL: http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-7908-2137-6_9
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    Cited by:

    1. Biagia De Devitiis & Ornella Wanda Maietta, 2015. "Shadow Prices of Human Capital in Agriculture. Evidence from European FADN Regions," CSEF Working Papers 415, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    demand for volunteer labour; social capital; voluntary work; productivity measurement.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D23 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Organizational Behavior; Transaction Costs; Property Rights
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • L31 - Industrial Organization - - Nonprofit Organizations and Public Enterprise - - - Nonprofit Institutions; NGOs; Social Entrepreneurship

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