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

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.

在我国赞比亚全国范围内开展的一项针对新医疗职位的招聘活动中，我们嵌入了一项实地实验，旨在检验职业发展是否能够以牺牲利他动机为代价吸引人才。正如常识所示，提供职业发展机会会吸引较少的利他型应聘者。然而，这种权衡仅在人才水平较低的情况下存在；接受治疗的边缘应聘者更具才能，且利他动机同样强烈。这些应聘者被录用，并在因果链的每一个环节都表现出色：他们提供更多的输入，提高设施利用率，并改善健康结果，包括儿童营养不良率下降25%。