Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/174005 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11095
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We develop a model where people differ in their altruistic preferences and can serve the public interest in two ways: by making donations to charity and by taking a public service job and exerting effort on the job. Our theory predicts that people who are more altruistic are more likely to take a public service job and, for a given job, make higher donations to charity. Comparing equally altruistic workers, those with a regular job make higher donations to charity than those with a public service job by a simple substitution argument. We subsequently test these predictions using cross-sectional data from Germany on self-reported altruism, sector of employment, and donations to charity. In addition, we use panel data from the Netherlands on volunteering and sector of employment. We find support for most of our predictions.
Subjects: 
altruism
charitable donations
volunteering
public service motivation
public sector employment
self-selection
JEL: 
D64
H11
J45
M50
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
354.2 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.