Losing Prosociality in the Quest for Talent? Sorting, Selection, and Productivity in the Delivery of Public Services

Nava Ashraf, Oriana Bandiera and Scott Lee

STICERD - Economic Organisation and Public Policy Discussion Papers Series from Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE

Abstract: We embed a field experiment in a nationwide recruitment drive for nurses in Zambia to test whether career benefits attract talent at the expense of prosocial motivation. We randomize the offer of career benefits at the recruitment stage. In line with common wisdom, treatment attracts less prosocial applicants. However, the trade-off only exists at low levels of talent; the marginal applicants in treatment are more talented and equally pro-social. These are hired, and the perform better at every step of the chain; they deliver more services, promote institutional childbirth and reduce child malnutrition by 25% in the communities they serve.

JEL-codes: D82 J24 M54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-07
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https://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/dps/eopp/eopp65.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Losing Prosociality in the Quest for Talent? Sorting, Selection, and Productivity in the Delivery of Public Services (2020)
Working Paper: Losing prosociality in the quest for talent? Sorting, selection, and productivity in the delivery of public services (2020)
Working Paper: Losing prosociality in the quest for talent? Sorting, selection, and productivity in the delivery of public services (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cep:stieop:065

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