Fairness and the labour market; A theoretical and empirical analysis of layoffs in Germany

This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data

Fairness and the labour market; A theoretical and empirical analysis of layoffs in Germany

Author Info

Pfeifer, Christian

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Christian Pfeifer

Abstract

In recent years layoffs have increasingly become the focus of public attention. So far, however, there has been no representative study for Germany of how far and under what conditions layoffs are accepted by the population - in other words by people who are not immediately affected. Principles of distributive justice, rules of procedural justice, attribution theory, and psychological contract theory form the framework of the analysis. On this basis, hypotheses are generated, which are tested empirically in a telephone survey conducted among East and West Germans in 2004 (n=3039).

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Universität Hannover, Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät in its series Diskussionspapiere der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Hannover with number dp-328.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 22 pages
Date of creation: Nov 2005
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:han:dpaper:dp-328

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Koenigsworther Platz 1, D-30167 Hannover
Phone: (0511) 762-5350
Fax: (0511) 762-5665
Web page: http://www.wiwi.uni-hannover.de/
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Dietrich, Karl).

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executive Compensation
M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

NEP-ALL-2005-12-09 (All new papers)
NEP-CBE-2005-12-09 (Cognitive & Behavioural Economics)

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

Akerlof, George A, 1982. "Labor Contracts as Partial Gift Exchange," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 97(4), pages 543-69, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Konow, James, 2001. "Fair and square: the four sides of distributive justice," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 137-164, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Matthew Rabin, 1998. "Psychology and Economics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 11-46, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Gary Charness & David I. Levine, 1999. "When are Layoffs Acceptable? Evidence from a Quasi-experiment," Economics Working Papers 369, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra. [Downloadable!]
Other versions:
- Gary Charness & David I. Levine, 2000. "When Are Layoffs Acceptable? Evidence From A Quasi-Experiment," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 14-00, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
- Gary Charness & David I. Levine, 2000. "When are layoffs acceptable? Evidence from a quasi-experiment," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 53(3), pages 381-400, April.
Konow, James, 1996. "A positive theory of economic fairness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 13-35, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Other versions:
- James Konow, 2001. "A Positive Theory of Economic Fairness," Levine's Working Paper Archive 563824000000000138, David K. Levine. [Downloadable!]
Fehr, Ernst, et al, 1998. "When Social Norms Overpower Competition: Gift Exchange in Experimental Labor Markets," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(2), pages 324-51, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Elster, Jon, 1991. "Local justice : How institutions allocate scarce goods and necessary burdens," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(2-3), pages 273-291, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
James Konow, 2003. "Which Is the Fairest One of All? A Positive Analysis of Justice Theories," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 41(4), pages 1188-1239, December.
Kahneman, Daniel & Knetsch, Jack L & Thaler, Richard, 1986. "Fairness as a Constraint on Profit Seeking: Entitlements in the Market," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(4), pages 728-41, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Rabin, Matthew, 1993. "Incorporating Fairness into Game Theory and Economics," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(5), pages 1281-1302, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)

Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

Christian Pfeifer, 2007. "The Perceived Fairness of Layoffs in Germany: Participation, Compensation, or Avoidance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(1), pages 25-36, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)

Statistics

Access and download statistics

Did you know? IDEAS was sponsored from 1997 to 2002 by the Université du Québec à Montréal.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-3.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.