Occupational choice of skilled workers in the presence of a large development sector: Evidence from Sierra Leone

Abstract

provides economic analysis and policy advice with the aim of promoting sustainable and equitable development. The Institute began operations in 1985 in Helsinki, Finland, as the first research and training centre of the United Nations University. Today it is a unique blend of think tank, research institute, and UN agency-providing a range of services from policy advice to governments as well as freely available original research.The Institute is funded through income from an endowment fund with additional contributions to its work programme from Finland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom as well as earmarked contributions for specific projects from a variety of donors.

The determinants of occupational sorting: Evidence from Mozambique

“…With the exception of the latter result, unlike previous studies on the importance of risk preferences (Falco 2014), we do not find consistent effects on the likelihood of selecting different choices. This is in line with Harris (2019), who posits that results from middle-income countries, such as Ghana, and larger low-income countries may not apply to low-income and least-developed countries. As highlighted above, while we do not confirm the expected link between pro-social motivation and the likelihood of choosing the public sector, it seems to matter for the probability of pursuing self-employment.…”

“…In developing countries, the non-profit sector is a relevant co-producer or, in extreme settings, full substitute of the state in the provision of social services (Brandsen and Pestoff 2006;Casey 2020;Hogg 2020;Lim and Endo 2016). In this respect, closest to our analysis is Harris (2019), who considers preferences for occupational choice between public and private sectors, self-employment, and the development sector. Her findings for Sierra Leone confirm the importance of considering the last of these sectors, showing that the largest share of skilled job-seekers opts for early-career employment in a donor organization, or international and national nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).…”

Mixed Methods Research in Developing Country Contexts: Lessons From Field Research in Six Countries Across Africa and the Caribbean

“…3. See Viceisza (2016) for more on lab-in-field experiments, and Harris (2019) for applications in Sierra Leone. 4.…”

Foreign aid, human capital accumulation and the potential implications for growth

“…There is now an excess supply of these workers (but a shortage of other skills), as the creation of development sector jobs has not kept up with the pace of graduates with NGO courses entering the labor market. 27 There is also evidence to suggest that jobseekers with higher cognitive ability opt into the development sector (Harris 2019).…”

“…The survey sought to explore occupational choice of graduates about to enter the labor market. 392 students were selected (out of final year cohort of 1000) using stratified random sampling Harris (2019). describes the survey and results.…”