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What motivates volunteer work in an emergency? Evidence from the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Author

Listed:
  • Isamu Yamamoto

    (Faculty of Business and Commerce, Keio University)

  • Kazuyasu Sakamoto

    (Faculty of Economics, Keio University)

Abstract

This paper studies the mechanism of volunteer labor supply using panel data gathered during the period before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, which occurred on March 11, 2011. The results obtained from descriptive statistics and random probit model estimates show that the lower the opportunity costs of workers were, the more inclined they were to participate in volunteer activities prior to the earthquake. However, the data also suggests that this trend had become reversed during the period following the earthquake. This shift indicates that besides opportunity costs, factors such as altruistic and philanthropic sentiment may have inspired people to volunteer, particularly when serious conditions necessitate urgent assistance.

Suggested Citation

  • Isamu Yamamoto & Kazuyasu Sakamoto, 2012. "What motivates volunteer work in an emergency? Evidence from the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(3), pages 1933-1941.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-12-00259
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Menchik, Paul L. & Weisbrod, Burton A., 1987. "Volunteer labor supply," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 159-183, March.
    2. Freeman, Richard B, 1997. "Working for Nothing: The Supply of Volunteer Labor," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(1), pages 140-166, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lange, Martin & Pfeiffer, Friedhelm & van den Berg, Gerard J., 2017. "Integrating young male refugees : initial evidence from an inclusive soccer project," Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 51(1), pages 1-6.
    2. Berg, Gerard van den & Kolb, Michael & Lange, Martin & Pfeiffer, Friedhelm, 2016. "Integrating refugees in the Rhine-Neckar-Region: Initial evidence from an inclusive soccer project," ZEW Expertises, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research, number 149872, March.
    3. Fabio Sabatini & Francesco Sarracino, 2017. "Online Networks and Subjective Well-Being," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(3), pages 456-480, August.
    4. H. Daimon & T. Atsumi, 2018. "Simulating disaster volunteerism in Japan: “Pay It Forward” as a strategy for extending the post-disaster altruistic community," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 93(2), pages 699-713, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Volunteer labor supply; Disaster volunteerism; East Japan; Earthquake and Tsunami; Opportunity cost;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

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