The Monetary Value of Voluntary Work: Conceptual and Empirical Comparisons

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive comparison of different valuation approaches for estimating the monetary value of voluntary work both conceptually and empirically. This study adds to the literature by suggesting two approaches: (1) the leisure-adjusted opportunity cost approach (OCA), which corrects for voluntary work being a leisure substitute, is suggested as an alternative to the alternative-employment wage approach (AEWA). And (2) the volunteer judgment replacement wage approach (RWA), where volunteers state a wage rate that they consider adequate for the task they perform, is suggested as an alternative to the generic RWA. Using data on volunteers in German non-profit sports clubs (n = 566), the valuations show that the monetary value of 1 h of voluntary work is highest for the generic RWA (€14.27), followed by the AEWA (€14.03), the volunteer judgment RWA (€9.98), and the leisure-adjusted OCA (€1.78).

     

Of the Soul and Suffering: Mindfulness-Based Interventions and Bereavement

There has been increased interest in, and evidence for, mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) as integrative approaches for a wide variety of psychosocial issues. However, there is very little research on the use of MBIs in bereavement care and only one proposed model existing in the literature. This article presents an overview of the mindfulness-based literature and uses a case study of a bereaved parent to illustrate a mindfulness-based model of bereavement care that is consistent with social work values. Such a model may provide a future direction for care of the bereaved as well as interesting opportunities for further development and research.