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Fairness in the Labour Market – A Survey of Experimental Results

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Author Info
Simon Gächter
Ernst Fehr

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Abstract

In this chapter we provide a selective survey of experiments to investigate the potential of social motivations in explaining labour market phenomena. We argue that laboratory experiments are a useful instrument to explore issues in labour market theory and personnel economics. Our starting point is the observation that employment relations are frequently governed by incomplete contracts. We show that the norm of reciprocity that leads to gift exchanges is an effective contract enforcement device under conditions of contractual incompleteness. We then present evidence that gift exchange can explain various labour market phenomena that are puzzles from the viewpoint of standard economic theory. Further issues in the related field of personnel economics that have by now been subjected to an experimental scrutiny concern characteristics of the employment relation and the issues of motivation and incentives systems. We conclude by pointing out the complementary nature of experiments to more conventional methods of data gathering.

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Paper provided by Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW in its series IEW - Working Papers with number iewwp114.

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Handle: RePEc:zur:iewwpx:114

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Related research
Keywords: fairness; labor market; experimental results;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
C92 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Group Behavior
D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism
J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General
J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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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.:
  1. Armin Falk & Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, . "Appropriating the Commons - A Theoretical Explanation," IEW - Working Papers iewwp055, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Leonard J. Mirman & Klaus Reiner Schenk-HoppÈ, 2003. "Financial Markets and Stochastic Growth," Review of International Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 11(2), pages 219-236, 05. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  3. Falk, Armin & Fehr, Ernst & Fischbacher, Urs, 2008. "Testing theories of fairness--Intentions matter," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 287-303, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Bruno Frey & Alois Stutzer, 2001. "What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  5. Ralf Becker & Urs Fischbacher & Thorsten Hens, . "Soft Landing of a Stock Market Bubble, An Experimental Study," IEW - Working Papers iewwp090, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Simon Gächter & Armin Falk, . "Work motivation, institutions, and performance," IEW - Working Papers iewwp062, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
  8. Lars Feld & Bruno Frey, 2000. "Trust Breeds Trust: How Taxpayers are Treated," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  9. Bruno Frey & Stephan Meier, 2005. "Selfish and Indoctrinated Economists?," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 165-171, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Armin Falk & Ernst Fehr & Urs Fischbacher, . "Driving Forces of Informal Sanctions," IEW - Working Papers iewwp059, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Rafael Lalive & Jan C. van Ours & Josef Zweimüller, 2005. "The Effect Of Benefit Sanctions On The Duration Of Unemployment," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 3(6), pages 1386-1417, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Albrecht Ritschl & Ulrich Woitek, . "Did Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression? A Bayesian VAR Analysis for the U.S. Economy," IEW - Working Papers iewwp050, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Fehr, Ernst & Klein, Alexander & Schmidt, Klaus M., 2001. "Fairness, Incentives and Contractual Incompleteness," CEPR Discussion Papers 2790, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. Bruno Frey & Alois Stutzer, 2001. "Beyond Bentham -- Measuring Procedural Utility," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  20. Iris Bohnet & Bruno S. Frey & Steffen Huck, . "More Order with Less Law: On Contract Enforcement, Trust, and Crowding," IEW - Working Papers iewwp052, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  22. Simon Gächter & Arno Riedl, . "Moral Property Rights in Bargaining," IEW - Working Papers iewwp113, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  23. Bruno Frey, 2001. "Flexible Citizenship for a Global Society," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series 1018, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics. [Downloadable!]
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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.)

  1. Eriksson, Tor & Villeval, Marie-Claire, 2004. "Other-Regarding Preferences and Performance Pay – An Experiment on Incentives and Sorting," IZA Discussion Papers 1191, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Tor Eriksson & Marie-Claire Villeval, 2008. "Performance Pay, Sorting and Social Motivation," Post-Print halshs-00331753_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Jean-Pierre Danthine & Andre Kurmann, 2004. "Fair Wages in a New Keynesian Model of the Business Cycle," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 7(1), pages 107-142, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Healy, Paul J., 2004. "Fairness, or just gambling on it? An experimental analysis of the gift exchange game," Working Papers 1183, California Institute of Technology, Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences. [Downloadable!]
  5. Gächter, Simon & Nosenzo, Daniele & Sefton, Martin, 2008. "The Impact of Social Comparisons on Reciprocity," IZA Discussion Papers 3639, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Verhoogen, Eric & Burks, Stephen V. & Carpenter, Jeffrey P., 2004. "Fairness and Freight-Handlers: Local Labor-Market Conditions and Wage-Fairness Perceptions in a Trucking Firm," IZA Discussion Papers 1352, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Agell, Jonas & Bennmarker, Helge, 2002. "Wage Policy and Endogenous Wage Rigidity: A Representative View from the Inside," Research Papers in Economics 2002:12, Stockholm University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  8. Agell, Jonas & Bennmarker, Helge, 2002. "Wage policy and endogenous wage rigidity: a representative view from the inside," Working Paper Series 2002:12, IFAU - Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation. [Downloadable!]
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This page was last updated on 2009-11-26.

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