Journal of Labor Economics Vol. 15 No. 1, Part 2 1997
Working for Nothing: The Supply of Volunteer Labor
open access
Abstract
Volunteer activity is work performed without monetary recompense. This article shows that volunteering is a sizeable economic activity in the United States, that volunteers have high skills and opportunity costs of time, that standard labor supply explanations of volunteering account for only a minor part of volunteer behavior, and that many volunteer only when requested to do so. This suggests that volunteering is a "conscience good or activity"-something that people feel morally obligated to do when asked, but which they would just as soon let someone else do.
- DOI
- 10.1086/209859
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 1, Part 2
- Pages
- S140-S166
- Language
- en
- Sources
- openalex crossref