In some circumstances, a focus on extrinsic rewards {money} can actually diminish effort. Most {or at least many} teachers enter their profession not because of the money but because of their love for children and their dedication to teaching. The best teachers could have earned far higher incomes if they had gone to banking. It is almost insulting to assume that they are not doing what they can to help their students learn, and that by paying them an extra $500 or $1,500, they would exert greater effort. Indeed, incentive pay can be corrosive: it reminds teachers of how bad their pay is, and those who are led thereby to focus on money may be induced to find a better paying job, leaving behind only those for whom teaching is the only alternative. {Of course, if teachers perceive themselves to be badly paid, that will undermine morale, and that will have adverse incentive effects}
( Joseph E. Stiglitz )
[ The Price of Inequality: How ]
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