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Are nurses more altruistic than real estate brokers?

Author

Listed:
  • Jacobsen, Karin

    (Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo)

  • H. Eika, Kari

    (The Royal Ministry of Health and Care Services)

  • Helland, Leif

    (Department of Economics, BI Norwegian School of Management)

  • Thori Lind, Jo

    (Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo)

  • Nyborg, Karine

    (Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo)

Abstract

We report results from a dictator game experiment with nurse students and real estate broker students as dictators, and Amnesty International as the recipient. Although brokers contributed substantial amounts, nurses contributed significantly more, on average 76 percent of their endowment. In a second part, subjects chose between a certain repetition of the experiment and a 50-50 chance of costly exit. About one third of the brokers and half of the nurses chose the exit option. While generosity was indeed higher among nurses, even when taking exits into account, the difference cannot readily be attributed to different degrees of altruism.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacobsen, Karin & H. Eika, Kari & Helland, Leif & Thori Lind, Jo & Nyborg, Karine, 2011. "Are nurses more altruistic than real estate brokers?," Memorandum 09/2011, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2011_009
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    1. Are nurses more altruistic than real estate brokers?
      by Nicholas Gruen in Club Troppo on 2011-05-09 15:16:01

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    5. Lagarde, Mylène & Blaauw, Duane, 2014. "Pro-social preferences and self-selection into jobs: evidence from South African nurses," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 85229, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Tonin, Mirco & Vlassopoulos, Michael, 2013. "Experimental evidence of self-image concerns as motivation for giving," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 19-27.
    7. Gauriot, Romain & Heger, Stephanie A. & Slonim, Robert, 2020. "Altruism or diminishing marginal utility?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 24-48.
    8. Robert Dur & Robin Zoutenbier, 2011. "Working for a Good Cause," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 11-168/1, Tinbergen Institute, revised 23 Apr 2013.
    9. Kim Lehrer & Catherine Porter, 2018. "Charitable Dictators? Determinants of Giving to NGOs in Uganda," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 80-101, January.
    10. Müge Özman & Cédric Gossart & Nicolas Jullien, 2023. "Do occupations matter in motivations to volunteer?," Post-Print hal-04353216, HAL.
    11. David Ong & Chun-Lei Yang, 2014. "Pro Bono Work and Trust in Expert Fields," CESifo Working Paper Series 4897, CESifo.
    12. Stijn Baert & Sunčica Vujić, 2018. "Does it pay to care? Volunteering and employment opportunities," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 31(3), pages 819-836, July.
    13. Christine L. Exley & Judd B. Kessler, 2017. "Motivated Errors," Harvard Business School Working Papers 18-017, Harvard Business School, revised May 2018.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Dictator game; exit option; generosity; occupational differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers

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