Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Economics

Testing undue incentives

Financial incentives may be offered for risky but potentially life-saving actions, such as donating organs and participation in medical trials. It has been argued that such incentives could distort decision making and lead people to act against their own best interest. However, experimental evidence now suggests that higher financial incentives do not cause harm.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Ambuehl, S. Nat. Hum. Behav. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01817-8 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Goette, L. & Stutzer, A. J. Econ. Behav. Organ. 170, 52–74 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Grant, R. W. & Sugarman, J. J. Med. Philos. 29, 717–738 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Wertheimer, A. & Miller, F. G. J. Med. Ethics 34, 389–392 (2008).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Brown, C. BMJ 382, 1863 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Robinson, L. A. & Hammitt, J. K. J. Benefit Cost Anal. 2, 1–51 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hammitt, J. K. J. Benefit Cost Anal. 12, 64–84 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Linda Thunström.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Thunström, L. Testing undue incentives. Nat Hum Behav (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01850-7

Download citation

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01850-7

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing