How Do Incentives Affect Creativity?

23 Pages Posted: 14 Jan 2013

See all articles by Katharina Eckartz

Katharina Eckartz

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena

Oliver Kirchkamp

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena - Economics Department; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Daniel Schunk

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz - Gutenberg School of Economics and Management; University of Zurich - Department of Economics

Date Written: December 12, 2012

Abstract

We compare performance in a word based creativity task under three incentive schemes: a flat fee, a linear payment and a tournament. Furthermore, we also compare performance under two control tasks (Raven’s advanced progressive matrices or a number-adding task) with the same treatments. In all tasks we find that incentives seem to have very small effects and that differences in performance are predominantly related to individual skills.

Keywords: creativity, incentives, real effort task, experimental economics

JEL Classification: C910, J330

Suggested Citation

Eckartz, Katharina and Kirchkamp, Oliver and Schunk, Daniel, How Do Incentives Affect Creativity? (December 12, 2012). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 4049, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2198760 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2198760

Katharina Eckartz

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena ( email )

Furstengraben 1
Jena, Thuringa 07743
Germany

Oliver Kirchkamp

Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena - Economics Department ( email )

Carl-Zeiss-Str. 3
Jena, 07737
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.kirchkamp.de/

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) ( email )

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://www.kirchkamp.de/

Daniel Schunk (Contact Author)

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz - Gutenberg School of Economics and Management ( email )

Mainz
Germany

University of Zurich - Department of Economics ( email )

Bluemlisalpstr. 10
Zurich, 8006
Switzerland

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