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Is Volunteering Rewarding in Itself?
Author(s) -
MEIER STEPHAN,
STUTZER ALOIS
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
economica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.532
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1468-0335
pISSN - 0013-0427
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2007.00597.x
Subject(s) - causality (physics) , social psychology , psychology , helping behavior , positive economics , economics , physics , quantum mechanics
Volunteering constitutes one of the most important pro‐social activities. Following Aristotle, helping others is the way to higher individual wellbeing. This view contrasts with the selfish utility maximizer, who avoids helping others. The two rival views are studied empirically. We find robust evidence that volunteers are more satisfied with their life than non‐volunteers. The issue of causality is studied from the basis of the collapse of East Germany and its infrastructure of volunteering. People who lost their opportunities for volunteering are compared with people who experienced no change in their volunteer status.