Are nurses more altruistic than real estate brokers?

Jacobsen, Karin Johanne; Eika, Kari H.; Helland, Leif; Lind, Jo Thori; Nyborg, Karine

doi:10.1016/j.joep.2011.07.003

Cited by 35 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…With experimental (Jacobsen et al, 2011) andanecdotal (Miers et al, 2007;Shaw and Degazon, 2008) evidence suggesting that nurses are likely to be more altruistic than the general population, does it make studying the role of social preferences in career decisions in that population less relevant or interesting? We believe not.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pro-social preferences and self-selection into jobs: Evidence from South African nurses

Lagarde

Blaauw

2014

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

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a b s t r a c tAlthough a growing body of economic work has looked at the role of pro-social motives to explain self-selection into public or not-for-profit sector jobs, in particular in the delivery of social services, no attention has been given to the role of pro-social preferences in the decision to take up posts in rural and isolated areas. Yet there are reasons to believe that such choices involve a degree of self-sacrifice, in particular in developing countries where rural regions typically combine geographic hostile environment, high levels of poverty, low educational opportunities, limited access to basic services and worse career opportunities. On the other hand, as shortage of qualified staff is higher in rural areas, the returns on the presence of a health worker, and the benefits to the populations, are likely to be higher. Using data from a longitudinal study of nurses in South Africa this paper tests this hypothesis by linking experimental measure of pro-social preferences and revealed preferences outcomes. Three measures of pro-social preferences are constructed based on donations made by study participants in a dictator game played at baseline. Job choices are observed three years later for more than 97% of the initial sample. We show that the more dedicated the nurses -measured by their generosity towards patients in the dictator game -the more likely they are to have chosen a rural job. This result is robust to the inclusion of various demographic controls and to different econometric specifications. This finding contributes to the literature on role of pro-social values as an intrinsic motivation factor in labour supply decisions and it has policy implications for the provision of social services in difficult settings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pro-social preferences and self-selection into jobs: Evidence from South African nurses

Lagarde

Blaauw

2014

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization

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“…It may, for instance, be a reasonable assumption that life professions attract individuals who are more altruistic and more medically fragile. One experimental study shows that generosity was higher among student nurses than real-estate broker students; however, this was probably more out of moral obligation rather than pure altruism (Jacobsen, Eika, Helland, Lind, & Nyborg, 2011). It is also possible that those who choose high-risk professional educational programs are more vulnerable individuals at the outset of the education in other respects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risky Professions? Risk of Disability in Professions in Norway

Tufte

2013

P&P

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Abstract:Modern professions provide important and essential services like engineering, financial services, and welfare state services. Sustaining a sufficient supply of these services requires professionals to remain in the workforce as long as possible. This article examines variation in the risk of disability pension among individuals with different professional education backgrounds according to the status of the profession and its primary task (i.e., caring for others, "life" professions; or providing other kinds of services, "thing" professions). Event history analysis was employed to examine register data for the Norwegian population from 1992 through 2008, with gender, age at completed education, birth year, and social status as control variables. The results indicate that individuals in low-status life professions were exposed to a greater risk of disability pension than individuals with other professional education backgrounds. Possible explanations are mechanisms related to selection effects, physical and mental job strain, and professional ethics.

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“…Altruism is not only an expression of internal motivation but also a means by which to unify and ensure survival of a social group. Other researchers have also suggested that nurses are not necessarily more altruistic than other occupational groups but rather that they comply to a larger degree with a strong helping norm that characterizes the profession (Jacobsen et al 2011). This reasoning implies that altruistic values are a big part of the socialization of nurses and that they are not necessarily just associated with an internal motivation to enter nursing.…”

Section: Why Is This Research Needed?mentioning

confidence: 99%