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Can Reputation Discipline the Gig Economy? Experimental Evidence from an Online Labor Market

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  • Benson, Alan

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Sojourner, Aaron

    (Upjohn Institute for Employment Research)

  • Umyarov, Akhmed

    (University of Minnesota)

Abstract

In two experiments, we examine the effects of employer reputation in an online labor market (Amazon Mechanical Turk) in which employers may decline to pay workers while keeping their work product. First, in an audit study of employers by a blinded worker, we find that working only for good employers yields 40% higher wages. Second, in an experiment that varied reputation, we find that good-reputation employers attract work of the same quality but at twice the rate as bad-reputation employers. This is the first clean, field evidence on the value of employer reputation. It can serve as collateral against opportunism in the absence of contract enforcement.

Suggested Citation

  • Benson, Alan & Sojourner, Aaron & Umyarov, Akhmed, 2015. "Can Reputation Discipline the Gig Economy? Experimental Evidence from an Online Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 9501, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp9501
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    Cited by:

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    2. Feifei Jiang & Xiaoying Zheng & Di Fan & Pengxiang Zhang & Sali Li, 2021. "The Sharing Economy and Business Model Design: A Configurational Approach," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 949-976, June.
    3. Nicolas Eschenbaum & Helge Liebert, 2021. "Dealing with Uncertainty: The Value of Reputation in the Absence of Legal Institutions," Papers 2107.11314, arXiv.org.
    4. Yue Qiu & Aaron Sojourner, 2023. "Labor-Market Concentration and Labor Compensation," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 76(3), pages 475-503, May.
    5. Meijian Yang & Enjun Xia & Yang Yang, 2023. "Deterring Sellers’ Cheap Talk Actions via Online Rating Schemes," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-16, March.
    6. John Horton, 2021. "The Ruble Collapse in an Online Marketplace: Some Lessons for Market Designers," Papers 2104.06170, arXiv.org.
    7. Yao, Qiongrui (Missy) & Baker, LaKami T. & Lohrke, Franz T., 2022. "Building and sustaining trust in remote work by platform-dependent entrepreneurs on digital labor platforms: Toward an integrative framework," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 327-339.
    8. Dandan Qiao & Huaxia Rui & Qian Xiong, 2023. "AI and Jobs: Has the Inflection Point Arrived? Evidence from an Online Labor Platform," Papers 2312.04180, arXiv.org.
    9. Choi, Bong-Geun & Choi, Jung Ho & Malik, Sara, 2023. "Not just for investors: The role of earnings announcements in guiding job seekers," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1).
    10. Ke & Ma & Sophie Yanying Sheng & Haitian Xie, 2023. "Employer Reputation and the Labor Market: Evidence from Glassdoor.com and Dice.com," Papers 2305.02587, arXiv.org, revised Sep 2023.
    11. Ioana Marinescu & Nadav Klein & Andrew Chamberlain & Morgan Smart, 2018. "Incentives Can Reduce Bias in Online Reviews," NBER Working Papers 24372, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Zhijuan Hong & Ruhai Wu & Yan Sun & Kunxiang Dong, 2020. "Buyer preferences for auction pricing rules in online outsourcing markets: fixed price vs. open price," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(1), pages 163-179, March.
    13. Svenja Dube & Chenqi Zhu, 2021. "The Disciplinary Effect of Social Media: Evidence from Firms' Responses to Glassdoor Reviews," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(5), pages 1783-1825, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    online labor markets; online ratings; reputation; labor; personnel; contracts; job search; screening;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • M55 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Contracting Devices
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • K12 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - Contract Law
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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