Expectations, Wage Hikes, and Worker Voice: Evidence from a Field Experiment / Achyuta Adhvaryu, Teresa Molina, Anant Nyshadham.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Adhvaryu, Achyuta.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Molina, Teresa.

Nyshadham, Anant.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w25866.

NBER working paper series no. w25866

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Expectations, Wage Hikes, and Worker Voice

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2019.

Summary:

Hirschman's (1970) seminal thesis that enabling worker "voice" prevents exit from the employment relationship has played a foundational role in labor economics. We provide the first experimental test of this hypothesis in a real-world setting via a randomized controlled trial in Indian garment factories. Just after what proved to be a disappointing wage hike, workers were chosen at random to participate in an anonymous survey in which they were asked for feedback on job conditions, supervisor performance, and overall job satisfaction. Enabling voice in this manner reduced turnover and absenteeism after the hike, particularly for the most disappointed workers.

Notes:

Print version record

May 2019.