Abstract
Do health workers sometimes have intrinsic motivation to help their patients? We examine the correlation between the generosity of clinicians—as measured in a laboratory experiment—and the quality of care they provide (1) in their normal work environment, (2) when a peer observes them, and (3) six weeks after an encouragement visit from a peer. We find that clinicians defined as generous in the laboratory provide 8 percent better care in their normal work environment. On average, all clinicians provide 3 percent and 8 percent better care when observed by a peer and after encouragement, respectively. Importantly, generous clinicians react to peer scrutiny and encouragement in the same way as ungenerous clinicians.
- Received October 2013.
- Accepted October 2014.
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