Abstract

This thesis asks how to understand volunteer motivation in the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation by bringing religious-cultural ethics into, rather than against, a rational-choice framework. Standard economic models portray volunteers as utility-maximizers who trade off time, income and non-material rewards, and religion usually appears only as a control variable rather than as something that helps define costs, benefits and time horizons. The study first reviews theories of rational choice and volunteering, then introduces Buddhist economics, Confucian relational ethics and Humanistic Buddhism as complementary lenses that extend, but do not replace, those models. It then analyzes Tzu Chi’s organizational design including its training system, merit discourse and “Tzu Chi family” narrative to show how ethical ideas are turned into concrete rules and practices. Qualitative analysis of volunteer testimonies identifies three recurring motivational paths: family transmission, gratitude-driven service, and faith practice. Finally, using county-level aggregated data derived from the Report on the Taiwan Volunteer Service Survey 2021 and the panel data from Tzu Chi’s official website of Tzu Chi volunteer density, the thesis examines how religious belief, family participation and local opportunity structures are associated with service duration, intensity and field of work. The findings show that learning, helping others and social connection dominate volunteers’ stated reasons for participation, while religion is rarely named explicitly. Yet religious affiliation, family networks and strong local Tzu Chi presence are positively associated with longer and concentration in social-welfare and environmental activities. Buddhist and Confucian ethics therefore function as an extended rationality that makes long-term, high-cost volunteering intelligible within a broadened economic account of motivation.

Advisor

Amyaz, Moledina

Second Advisor

Bonk, James

Department

East Asian Studies; Global and International Studies

Publication Date

2025

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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