Altruism or Money? Reducing Teacher Sorting Using Behavioral Strategies in Peru

Nicolas Ajzenman (), Eleonora Bertoni (), Gregory Elacqua (), Luana Marotta () and Carolina Méndez Vargas ()
Additional contact information
Nicolas Ajzenman: McGill University
Eleonora Bertoni: Inter-American Development Bank
Luana Marotta: Inter-American Development Bank
Carolina Méndez Vargas: Inter-American Development Bank

No 14111, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Inequality in access to high-quality teachers is an important driver of student socioeconomic achievement gaps. We experimentally evaluate a novel nation-wide low-cost government program aimed at reducing teacher sorting. Specifically, we tested two behavioral strategies designed to motivate teachers to apply to job vacancies in disadvantaged schools. These strategies consisted of an "Altruistic Identity" treatment arm, which primed teachers' altruistic identity by making it more salient, and an "Extrinsic Incentives" arm, which simplified the information and increased the salience of an existing government monetary-incentive scheme rewarding teachers who work in underprivileged institutions. We show that both strategies are successful in triggering teacher candidates to apply to such vacancies, as well as make them more likely to be assigned to a final in-person evaluation in a disadvantaged school. The effect among high-performing teachers is larger, especially in the "Altruistic" arm. Our results imply that low-cost behavioral strategies can enhance the supply and quality of professionals willing to teach in high-need areas.

Keywords: prosocial behavior; altruism; priming; monetary incentives; identity; teacher sorting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 I24 I25 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 61 pages
Date: 2021-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published - published in: Journal of Labor Economics, 2024, 42 (2), 1049–1091

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Related works:
Working Paper: Altruism or money? Reducing teacher sorting using behavioral strategies in Peru (2021)
Working Paper: Altruism or Money?: Reducing Teacher Sorting Using Behavioral Strategies in Peru (2020)
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