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Reducing Moral Hazard in Employment Relationships: Experimental Evidence on Managerial Control and Performance Pay

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  • C. Kirabo Jackson
  • Henry S. Schneider

Abstract

Moral hazard is endemic to employment relationships and firms often use performance pay and managerial control to address this problem. While performance pay has received much empirical attention, managerial control has not. We analyze data from a managerial-control field experiment in which an auto-repair firm provided detailed checklists to mechanics and monitored their use. Revenue was 20 percent higher under the experiment. We compare this effect to that of quasi-experimental increases in mechanic commission rates. The managerial-control effect is equivalent to that of a 10 percent commission increase. We find evidence of complementarities between the two, suggesting benefits from an all-of-the-above approach. We also find evidence of incentive gaming under performance pay.

Suggested Citation

  • C. Kirabo Jackson & Henry S. Schneider, 2013. "Reducing Moral Hazard in Employment Relationships: Experimental Evidence on Managerial Control and Performance Pay," NBER Working Papers 19645, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19645
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D0 - Microeconomics - - General
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • D86 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Economics of Contract Law
    • H0 - Public Economics - - General
    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts

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