Volunteers and conditions under which crowd-out effect could appear. An empirical evidence of psychological self-determination theory

The paper analyses if monetary rewards to continuative Italian volunteers decrease their intrinsic motivation undermining the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy and competence. It uses a Survey on Employment in the Social Care and Educational Services conducted by FIVOL-FEO in 1998. The paper shows that monetary rewards increase the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy and competence, but the satisfaction of psychological needs for autonomy and competence does not mediate between monetary rewards and intrinsic motivation.