Data and Code For: Losing Prosociality in the Quest for Talent

Principal Investigator(s): View help for Principal Investigator(s) Nava Ashraf, London School of Economics; Oriana Bandiera, London School of Economics; Scott S. Lee, Vanderbilt University; Edward Davenport, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Version: View help for Version V1

Name	File Type	Size	Last Modified
AER_data			10/28/2019 02:38:PM

Project Citation:

Ashraf, Nava, Bandiera, Oriana, Lee, Scott S., and Davenport, Edward. Data and Code For: Losing Prosociality in the Quest for Talent. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2020. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2020-04-15. https://doi.org/10.3886/E111683V1

Project Description

Summary:

We embed a field experiment in a nationwide recruitment drive for a new healthcare position in Zambia to test whether career benefits attract talent at the expense of prosocial motivation. In line with common wisdom, offering career opportunities attracts less prosocial applicants. However, the trade-off exists only at low levels of talent; the marginal applicants in treatment are more talented and equally prosocial. These are hired, and perform better at every step of the causal chain: they provide more inputs, increase facility utilization, and improve health outcomes including a 25 percent decrease in child malnutrition.

Scope of Project

JEL Classification:
      D82 Asymmetric and Private Information • Mechanism Design
      J24 Human Capital • Skills • Occupational Choice • Labor Productivity
      M54 Labor Management
      O15 Human Resources • Human Development • Income Distribution • Migration
      D82

Geographic Coverage: Zambia

Time Period(s): 2010 – 2014 (Various surveys and datasets, from 2010 to 2014.)

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Published Versions

V1 [2020-04-15]

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