How might incentives be used to encourage volunteer work and community service?

Jason Lee

Schaffer

Econ

2012/10/16

Econ Homework

       

        In this chapter we learned about how incentive is used and what can incentive make people do. By applying what we learned, how might incentives be used to encourage volunteer work and community service?

        There are multiple ways to achieve this goal, at an economic stand point no one is going to work for without any benefits. Money is not the only way to encourage people to work. Like the book says “beggars in India injures themselves or their children deliberately in order to gain the sympathy of passersby and thus increase their income”. By presenting the problem and desperate need of the place which need volunteer work, plays the sympathy card. Which encourage people to help out. Other ways would be presenting as a contest, imprinting in peoples mind that this is not just helping out it is also a chance to gain fame. Fame, like money is also an effective way to attract peoples. The more amount of community service completes the more the rewards and tiles an individual can get.

        Work without direct benefits such as volunteer work is usually harder to get support from the people. By using incentive, the people will be encouraged to help out because it is no longer without benefits.