The supply of volunteer work in Brazil

• Grant number: 12/18192-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: April 01, 2013
• End date: January 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Social Welfare Economics
• Principal Investigator: Naercio Aquino Menezes Filho
• Grantee: Luísa de Azevedo Senra Soares
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade (FEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The research presented in this project aims to investigate the econometric determinants of volunteer labor supply in Brazil, an issue that has been gaining ground in labor economics in the international sphere, yet unexploited in this country.For a long time, the altruistic behavior of individuals remained on the margins of economic literature. As a reflection of this, until today the representative agent usually considered by traditional microeconomics acts on behalf of his own interests.However, especially since the 70s, philanthropy as a theme has attracted the attention of economists. In recent decades, empirical studies have been conducted in some countries trying to explain why people work voluntarily, but no investigation of such character has been made in Brazil so far.Indeed, little is known about Brazilian volunteers. Data collected from PNAD / IBGE of 2009 for this project indicate that they are about 530 thousand, which is equivalent to 0.5% of the economically active population of the country. Moreover, volunteers work on average 21.3 hours a week in unpaid activities for others.In this research project, it is proposed the development of a socioeconomic characterization of voluntary workers in Brazil. The intent is first learning about the profile of Brazilians who work voluntarily, to then investigate the determinants of volunteer work supply in the country.In a general outlook, there are three models of volunteer work supply: public goods, investment and consumption. In the context of the project, it will be conducted a search for empirical evidence pointing how appropriate each of these models are to explain volunteer work supply in Brazil.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

SOARES, Luísa de Azevedo Senra. The supply of volunteer work in Brazil. 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Economia, Administração e Contabilidade (FEA/SBD) São Paulo.