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Threat of Dismissal: Incentive or Sorting?

Author

Listed:
  • Illoong Kwon

Abstract

Many people are fired from their jobs for poor performance. However, it is difficult to distinguish whether they are fired because they are not well suited for their job (sorting explanation) or because the firms are trying to provide incentives for effort (incentive explanation). This paper develops a dynamic incentive model of dismissal and proposes a methodology to distinguish between these two explanations. The methodology rests on the learning-by-doing and the changes in the slope of dismissal probability with respect to tenure. With our unique personnel data, we find significant evidence for the incentive explanation

Suggested Citation

  • Illoong Kwon, 2004. "Threat of Dismissal: Incentive or Sorting?," Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings 114, Econometric Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecm:nasm04:114
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    Cited by:

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    2. Eriko Naiki & Yuta Ogane, 2024. "Effects of entrepreneurial heterogeneity within necessity- and opportunity-based entrepreneurs on business performance," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 807-840, June.
    3. Uwe Jirjahn, 2016. "Which employers regard the threat of dismissal as a suitable incentive to motivate workers?," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(9), pages 614-617, June.
    4. Oriana Bandiera & Luigi Guiso & Andrea Prat & Raffaella Sadun, 2015. "Matching Firms, Managers, and Incentives," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 33(3), pages 623-681.
    5. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2012. "Rewarding carrots and crippling sticks: Eliciting employee preferences for the optimal incentive design," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 1247-1265.
    6. Kaori Narita & J.D. Tena & Babatunde Buraimo, 2022. "Causal and Consequences of Multiple Dismissals: Evidence from Italian Football League," Working Papers 202226, University of Liverpool, Department of Economics.
    7. Jirjahn, Uwe & Mohrenweiser, Jens, 2025. "Management Practices, Workplace Health Promotion and Productivity," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1643, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    8. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2009. "Rewarding Carrots & Crippling Sticks: Eliciting Employee Preferences for the Optimal Incentive Mix in Europe," MPRA Paper 14167, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Hensvik, Lena & Rosenqvist, Olof, 2015. "The strength of the weakest link: sickness absence, internal substitutability and worker-firm matching," Working Paper Series 2015:28, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    10. Joshua D. Pitts & Brent A. Evans, 2023. "New contracts and dismissal threats from highly drafted rookies: What motivates NFL quarterbacks?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(1), pages 4-16, January.
    11. Choi, Daewoung & Gam, Yong Kyu & Kang, Min Jung & Shin, Hojong, 2025. "The effect of ESG-motivated turnover on firm financial risk," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(4).
    12. Macera, Rosario, 2018. "Present or future incentives? On the optimality of fixed wages with moral hazard," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 129-144.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts

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