What is the motivational effect of imposing a minimum effort requirement? Agents may no longer exert voluntary effort but merely meet the requirement. Here, we examine how such hidden costs of control change when control is considered legitimate. We study a principal-agent model where control signals the expectations of the principal and the agent meets these expectations because he is guilt-averse. We conjecture that control is more likely to be considered legitimate i) if it is not exclusively aimed at a specific agent or ii) if it protects the endowment of the principal. Given the conjecture the model predicts that hidden costs are lower when one of the two conditions is met. We experimentally test these predictions and find them confirmed.
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Wendelin Schnedler & Radovan Vadovic, 2007.
"Legitimacy of Control,"
Working Papers
0450, University of Heidelberg, Department of Economics, revised Aug 2007.
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Find related papers by JEL classification: C7 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory C9 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Personnel Economics
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