Expectations, Wage Hikes, and Worker Voice: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Achyuta Adhvaryu, Teresa Molina and Anant Nyshadham

No 25866, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: 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.

JEL-codes: C93 J20 J30 M50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-lma and nep-pke
Note: DEV LS PR
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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