infonet-economy

Awards in the form of orders, medals, decorations and titles are ubiquitous in monarchies andnrepublics, private organizations, not-for-profit and profit-oriented firms. Nevertheless, economists have disregarded this kind of non-material extrinsic incentive.nThe demand for awards relies on an individual’s desire for distinction, and the supply ofnawards on the provision of incentives. Relative price and income effects are shown to benidentifiable and strong. A number of empirically testable propositions are formulated. Asnawards are (at least so far) impossible to measure adequately, empirical tests are carried outnusing the technique of analytic narratives.