Why Do People Keep Their Promises? An Experimental Test of Two Explanations1

Numerous psychological and economic experiments have shown that the exchange of promises greatly enhances cooperative behavior in experimental games. This paper seeks to test two theories to explain this effect. The first posits that individuals have a preference for keeping their word. The second assumes that people dislike letting down others' payoff expectations. According to the latter account, promises affect behavior only indirectly, because they lead to changes in the payoff expectations attributed to others. I conduct an experiment designed to distinguish between and test these alternative explanations. The results demonstrate that the effects of promises cannot be accounted for by changes in payoff expectations. This suggests that people have a preference for promise keeping per se.     

Who benefits from benefits? Empirical research on tangible incentives

Although a broad field of literature on incentive theory exists, economic research on employer-provided tangible goods (hereafter called benefits) is still in its infancy. The empirical study by Oyer (Res Labor Econ 28:429–467, 2008) is one of few exceptions focusing empirically on the dispersion of tangible incentives. In our study, we test some of his findings by drawing on a German data set. We use two waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel data (2006, 2008) to analyze the occurrence of benefits and their effects on employees’ satisfaction. Our results provide evidence for economic as well as psychological explanations. Looking at differences in firms’ and employees’ characteristics we find that cost efficiency concerns, the purpose to signal good working conditions and the aim to ease employees’ effort costs are evident reasons to provide benefits. Furthermore, analyzing the impact of tangible and monetary incentives on satisfaction and employees’ feeling of being acknowledged by employers, we find different motivational effects. Our results support the psychological explanation that benefits are evaluated separately from other monetary wage components and are more likely to express employers’ concern for their employees and recognition of their performance.     

Relationships between psychological,physical, and behavioural health and work performance: A review and meta-analysis

The relationships between health and job performance problems have received increased attention in business and scientific communities. This paper attempts to synthesize theoretical and empirical work in this arena. First, the theoretical links between health and work performance are presented. This is followed by a meta-analysis of the relations between psychological, physical, and behavioural health variables and work performance criteria. Meta-analytic results from 111 independent samples obtained from a search of the literature indicate that psychological health, in the form of psychological well-being, depression, general anxiety, and life satisfaction, is a moderate-to-strong correlate of work performance. Associations between physical health, particularly somatic complaints and hypertension, and performance were weak-to-moderate. Regarding health behaviour, alcohol consumption, and smoking were weakly and sleep problems moderately associated with performance problems. Effect sizes sometimes differed across performance dimensions and data sources. The results are consistent with the notion that ill-health is associated with substantial reductions in work performance. This implies that interventions to improve health may have an impact on performance. However, as most of the research in this area has been cross-sectional, more longitudinal research is needed to test theoretical and alternative causal explanations for the relations summarized in this review.     

Time Allocation and Economic Welfare

Abstract. The paper analyzes the pattern of time allocation between work and leisure in industrialized countries. Some alternative explanations as to the slowing down in the shortening of working hours to those offered by the traditional economic theory are presented, in the light of empirical findings in the United States. Workers' endogenous preferences seem to play an important role in explaining this unforeseen trend in time allocation.     

Return predictability and social dynamics

The ability to predict stock returns from financial ratios is a long-standing but still controversial topic. There is ongoing debate about the empirical evidence as well as about appropriate theoretical explanations. We provide evidence from a simulated economy that local, social interaction among agents is remarkably successful in matching several established empirical facts. We find significant return predictability at various forecast horizons, absence of dividend growth predictability, high persistence in dividend yields, and absence of significant return autocorrelations. Our results suggest that social dynamics are a simple, intuitively appealing and successful way to explain predictability.     

转型期核心员工的离职创业行为与家族制企业

现有关于家族企业形成原因的研究,基本都是从文化、观念、习俗这些社会资本元素出发,本文则试图从转型制度特征下核心员工离职创业的角度对当代中国家族企业的形成进行一个新的解释.企业的核心员工是企业竞争优势的主要载体,本文认为,在经济转型时期知识产权和商业秘密保护的法律相对薄弱、社会创业壁垒逐步降低、职业经理人市场建设处于初级阶段等制度因素的背景下,为了防范企业核心员工离职创业导致在同一行业内形成新的竞争,在位企业往往会采取家族性治理的方式.     

A Scenario‐Based Evaluation of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and the Hajj

Between April 2012 and June 2014, 820 laboratory‐confirmed cases of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) have been reported in the Arabian Peninsula, Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the United States. The observed epidemiology is different to SARS, which showed a classic epidemic curve and was over in eight months. The much longer persistence of MERS‐CoV in the population, with a lower reproductive number, some evidence of human‐to‐human transmission but an otherwise sporadic pattern, is difficult to explain. Using available epidemiological data, we implemented mathematical models to explore the transmission dynamics of MERS‐CoV in the context of mass gatherings such as the Hajj pilgrimage, and found a discrepancy between the observed and expected epidemiology. The fact that no epidemic occurred in returning Hajj pilgrims in either 2012 or 2013 contradicts the long persistence of the virus in human populations. The explanations for this discrepancy include an ongoing, repeated nonhuman/sporadic source, a large proportion of undetected or unreported human‐to‐human cases, or a combination of the two. Furthermore, MERS‐CoV is occurring in a region that is a major global transport hub and hosts significant mass gatherings, making it imperative to understand the source and means of the yet unexplained and puzzling ongoing persistence of the virus in the human population.     

Job insecurity and emotional exhaustion: Testing psychological contract breach versus distributive injustice as indicators of lack of reciprocity

This study examines the processes underlying the association between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion, proposing that lack of reciprocity in the organizational exchange relationship is a main theoretical explanation for this association. Specifically, based on the social exchange perspective, we compared and tested two distinct mediating mechanisms: psychological contract breach and distributive injustice. These two indicators of lack of reciprocity constitute the explanatory process through which job insecurity relates to emotional exhaustion, the primary component of burnout. Data analyses from a sample of 322 blue-collar workers in Italy confirmed the mediational hypotheses. A contrast test revealed that distributive injustice was the indicator with more explanatory strength. The results contribute to research on the theoretical explanations of the adverse consequences of job insecurity, considering the nature and antecedents of psychological distress from an organizational exchange perspective.     

Why are right-wing voters attracted to dominant leaders? Assessing competing theories of psychological mechanisms

Research shows that conservative and right-wing individuals are more likely than liberal and left-wing individuals to prefer dominant leaders. According to adaptive followership theory, this reflects psychological mechanisms that tag dominant individuals as more competent under situations of conflict. Conservatives tend to view the world as dangerous and ridden with intergroup conflict and, hence, have heightened preferences for dominant leaders (the competence explanation). Yet, an alternative mechanism is possible, where people stereotypically associate dominant-looking leaders with conservativism such that conservatives perceive these leaders as more similar to themselves (the similarity explanation). Hence, the effects of dominance might not be a matter of perceived competence but of perceived policy agreement. This article pits these explanations about the underlying psychological mechanisms against each other. Using nationally representative survey experiments, we find support for the competence explanation by demonstrating that right-wing individuals prefer dominant candidates even if they are clearly politically closer to non-dominant candidates. This preference for dominant candidates only fades when the dominant candidates are from entirely different political parties than the right-wing individuals themselves.     

MISBEHAVIOR,EDUCATION, AND LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES

Using data on young men from the National Education Longitudinal Survey, this paper investigates the relationship between childhood misbehavior and later education and labor market outcomes. The main finding is that eighth‐grade misbehavior is important for earnings over and above eighth‐grade test scores. Moreover, controlling for educational attainment, childhood misbehavior is associated with earnings at all educational levels, whereas achievement test scores are related to earnings only for young men with postsecondary degrees. Possible explanations for the association between eighth‐grade misbehavior and economic success are explored.     

Unemployment Determinants for Women in Spain

Spain has one of the highest rates of unemployment among OECD countries. Some explanations for this stress the importance of unemployment duration compared with entry rates to the unemployment pool. Long‐term unemployment rates are particularly high among women in Spain. The object of this paper is to investigate the determinants of unemployment duration among women. It will consider personal characteristics (education and age), family background, socio‐economic variables (the number of household earners and household income) and the effect of unemployment benefits, using data from the Household Expenditure Survey 1990–91.     

现阶段我国政府债务“警戒线”的反思及债务风险的防范

通常人们依据债务规模的“警戒线”来衡量政府债务风险 ,认为我国政府债务风险已经较高。本文对此作了探讨并得出结论：前面的结论实际上很难成立 ,我国积极财政政策还有较大的空间。我国债务风险主要在于经济增长对债务资金可能形成的持久依赖。防范债务风险的根本措施是坚持深化改革、促进结构调整 ,主要依靠民间投资和消费拉动经济增长。国债资金应该用于支持体制改革和结构调整。随着积极财政政策在我国的运用 ,对我国政府债务风险的讨论也越来越多。一般对债务风险的判断都是基于国债负担率、赤字率、债务依存度、偿债率这样一些指标。…     

The recovery paradox: Portraying the complex interplay between job stressors,lack of recovery,and poor well-being

Job stressors such as time pressure, organizational constraints, and interpersonal conflicts matter for individual well-being within organizations, both at the day level and over longer periods of time. Recovery-enhancing processes such as psychological detachment from work during nonwork time, physical exercise, and sleep have the potential to protect well-being. Although the experience of job stressors calls for effective recovery processes, empirical research shows that recovery processes actually are impaired when job stressors are high (recovery paradox). This article presents explanations for the recovery paradox, discusses moderating factors, and suggests avenues for future research.     

Turnover turned over: an expanded and positive perspective

The negative impact of turnover is well documented in the literature. This paper examines turnover with a unique, positive focus. Turnover is reviewed, not only from the standpoint of the organizational theorist, but with economic, sociological, and psychological/social psychological perspectives. Often ignored benefits of turnover are noted.     

An Analysis of Firms' Compliance to Minimum Wage Legislation

The growth of long-term unemployment is the main reason behind the persistence of high rates of unemployment in Western Europe. The paper presents the two main theories, duration dependency and sorting, that have been used to account for emergent and persistent long-term unemployment. Both theories are hysteresis theories in the sense that they explain how the actual level of unemployment can be a function of past unemployment. Against this background the paper examines the evolution of long-term unemployment in Sweden and its demographic composition. The focus is on what has happened to long-term unemployment during the economic recovery experienced by Sweden and on the role of labour market policy measures targeted towards the long-term unemployed in overcoming unemployment persistence. It is shown that there was a significant time-lag before the recovery made inroads into the ratio of long-term unemployment. There was a frunsifory, but also a permanent hysteresis effect. The reaction to the recovery varied between age groups, long-term unemployment among older workers showing most persistence. There was an interaction effect in that the policy measures helped the long-term unemployed take advantage of the recovery. The authors then introduce the concept of a nuturul rule of long-ferm unemployment (NAIRLU) and make empirical estimates of this rate for Sweden. The character and composition of the Swedish natural rate of longterm unemployment is then examined.     

人力资源开发的心理学研究概况

主要介绍近 2 0年来在人力资源管理心理学研究方面的探索和进展 .研究包括员工心智技能模拟培训、再培训管理模式、职业指导和心理测试系统、飞行员、航天员选拔的心理会谈评价标准与方法、高层管理者胜任特征模型评价、国有企业的结构调整、管理者裁员决策特征、员工工作生活质量及科研创新管理等组织变革研究 .基于经济全球化和信息化的要求 ,建议系统开展基于我国文化、历史和社会经济转型期背景的心理行为研究     

基于二重随机因素的对称双头垄断期权博弈模型

本文在产品市场需求与经营成本二重随机性以及二者具有相关性的条件下,建立了一个对称双头垄断期权博弈分析框架,研究了企业最优战略投资决策问题。在导出企业投资价值函数和最优投资临界值的基础上,着重分析了企业最优投资策略均衡规则及各均衡存在的条件,并就各参数对企业最优投资临界值的影响进行比较静态分析,得出了一些有意义的结论,同时给出了经济解释。     

Literature review of theory and research on the psychological impact of temporary employment: Towards a conceptual model

The increased use of temporary contracts has instigated debates on possible implications for employees’ attitudes, well‐being and behaviour. The complex issues related to this debate are reviewed from a theoretical, empirical and conceptual point of view. First, the definitions of temporary employment that are currently used in OECD countries are reviewed. Second, theoretical views concerning possible determinants are elaborated. The theoretical frameworks discussed include Work Stress Theory, Social Comparison Theory and Social Exchange Theory. The determinants proposed in these theories have served to form the basis of hypotheses on differences between temporary and permanent workers on various psychological outcomes. Third, research on associations between temporary employment and the variables job satisfaction, organizational commitment, well‐being and behaviour are reviewed. These variables are most frequently used in the realm of temporary work research. This review concludes that research results have been inconsistent and inconclusive, unlike the predictions that follow from the theoretical frameworks. This leads to a fourth section in which potential explanations for these inconsistent findings are advanced. In conclusion, a conceptual model is developed to inspire future research.     

The mediating role of frustration of psychological needs in the relationship between job insecurity and work-related well-being

Abstract

This study aims to test a new process underlying the negative relationship between job insecurity and work-related well-being. Specifically, based on Self-Determination Theory, frustration of the psychological needs for autonomy, belongingness and competence was expected to explain the associations between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion and vigour (i.e. the core energy-related components of burnout and work engagement, respectively). Structural equation modelling using data from a heterogeneous sample of 3185 Flemish employees confirmed that frustration of the three needs mediated the association between job insecurity and both outcomes. These results suggest that job insecurity is related to impaired work-related well-being, because it frustrates employees’ psychological needs. This study contributes to a rather small, but growing body of research on the theoretical explanations of the negative consequences of job insecurity for employees’ work-related well-being.