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On the Economics of Volunteering

Author

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  • Roy, Kakoli
  • Ziemek, Susanne

Abstract

The past decade has witnessed a surge in private, volunteer activity across the globe, generating an optimistic belief in the potential of “civil society” in “filling” the niches where both the state and markets have failed. While this has stirred a burgeoning academic interest in the third sector, with a proliferation of studies from the perspective of political science, sociology, and social politics, economic interest has been rather lackluster. Economic theories that may enrich our understanding of volunteering behavior have either not received adequate attention or have not been explicitly identified. Furthermore, the significant contribution made by volunteer labor goes unnoticed in economic terms, as national income and labor force statistics are designed to gather information primarily on “remunerated” economic activity. Recognizing this lacuna, this paper attempts to develop a conceptual framework to measure the economic contribution made by volunteer labor, thereby hoping to raise its societal appreciation. To do so, we make forays in the following directions: (1) capture the theoretical underpinnings on the economics of volunteering; (2) incorporate that in developing a suitable methodological framework to accord an “economic value” to volunteer labor; (3) use relevant data sources to generate, some initial, but understandably rough estimates to comprehend its contribution to national output and employment. Our results indicate that volunteering is a substantial activity in most developed countries, and is growing in importance in many developing countries. Sound economic analyses applied to good descriptive cross-country data on volunteering could shed light on many fundamental issues: Why has voluntarism flourished in some societies, yet languished in others? Does it play inherently different roles in the “North” vis-a-vis the “South”? And, most importantly, how does the level of development affect voluntarism, i.e. is it rising or declining with development?

Suggested Citation

  • Roy, Kakoli & Ziemek, Susanne, 2000. "On the Economics of Volunteering," Discussion Papers 281245, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:ubzefd:281245
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.281245
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Dineo Seabe & Ronelle Burger, 2017. "Building bridges or deepening divides: Resources and formal volunteering in post-apartheid South Africa," Working Papers 03/2017, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    2. Marcus Dittrich & Bianka Mey, 2023. "Voluntary labour supply by birth cohort: empirical evidence from Germany," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 50(2), pages 389-410, May.
    3. Betul Akar & Pelin Akyol & Cagla Okten, 2022. "Education and Voluntary Work: Evidence from Turkish Time Use Survey," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 43(2), pages 275-320, June.
    4. Nikolova, Milena & Roman, Monica & Zimmermann, Klaus F., 2017. "Left behind but doing good? Civic engagement in two post-socialist countries," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(3), pages 658-684.
    5. Jakub Dostál, 2020. "Revealed value of volunteering: A volunteer centre network," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 91(2), pages 319-345, June.
    6. Paul-Francois Muzindutsi, 2015. "Denied Investment: A Case of Community Member’s Attitudes towards Volunteering in Corporate Social Investment Initiatives," Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, AMH International, vol. 7(2), pages 176-182.
    7. Palermo Kuss Ana Helena & Neumärker K. J. Bernhard, 2018. "Modelling the Time Allocation Effects of Basic Income," Basic Income Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, December.
    8. Bhaduri, Anik & Manna, Utpal & Barbier, Edward B. & Liebe, Jens, 2009. "Cooperation in transboundary water sharing under climate change," Discussion Papers 51303, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).
    9. Normah, A.N. & Kamal, M.Y. & Fazil, A., 2017. "Contributions of Volunteering Universitys Student to National Economy," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 7(12), pages 971-976, December.
    10. Massimo Baldini & Giovanni Gallo & Marco Ranuzzini, 2018. "Rapporto Conclusivo dell’Indagine Valutativa su Portobello – Emporio Sociale di Modena," Center for the Analysis of Public Policies (CAPP) 0165, Universita di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Dipartimento di Economia "Marco Biagi".
    11. 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).
    12. Evelyne Kiptot & Steven Franzel, 2014. "Voluntarism as an investment in human, social and financial capital: evidence from a farmer-to-farmer extension program in Kenya," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(2), pages 231-243, June.
    13. Marie Ishida & Teralynn Ludwick & Ajay Mahal, 2022. "Heart Disease and The Economic Contributions of Elderly Men and Women: Evidence from Australia," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 55(4), pages 461-476, December.
    14. Jakub Dostál, 2021. "Assigning a Value to Volunteering in Requests for Proposals," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, April.
    15. Dayé, Modeste, 2014. "Volunteering at the extensive margins in Developing Countries: Extrinsic or Intrinsic Motives?," MPRA Paper 59202, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Oct 2014.

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    Keywords

    Labor and Human Capital;

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