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The impact of envy on relational employment contracts

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  • Kragl, Jenny
  • Schmid, Julia
Abstract
We study the effects of envy on relational employment contracts in a standard moral hazard setup with two agents. Performance is evaluated via an observable, but non-contractible signal which reflects an agent's individual contribution to firm value. Both agents exhibit horizontal disadvantageous inequity aversion. In contrast to the literature, we find that inequity aversion may be beneficial; in the presence of envy, for a certain range of interest rates, relational contracts may be more profitable. For some interest rates reputational equilibria exist only with envious agents.

Suggested Citation

  • Kragl, Jenny & Schmid, Julia, 2009. "The impact of envy on relational employment contracts," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 766-779, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:72:y:2009:i:2:p:766-779
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    Cited by:

    1. Matthias Fahn, 2019. "Reciprocity in dynamic employment relationships," CESifo Working Paper Series 7634, CESifo.
    2. Bartling, Björn, 2011. "Relative performance or team evaluation? Optimal contracts for other-regarding agents," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(3), pages 183-193, August.
    3. Kragl, Jenny & Bental, Benjamin & Safaynikoo, Peymaneh, 2024. "Incentives and Peer Effects in the Workplace: On the Impact of Envy and Wage Transparency on Organizational Design," VfS Annual Conference 2024 (Berlin): Upcoming Labor Market Challenges 302380, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    4. Bental, Benjamin & Kragl, Jenny, 2021. "Inequality and incentives with societal other-regarding preferences," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 1298-1324.
    5. Barigozzi, Francesca & Manna, Ester, 2020. "Envy in mission-oriented organisations," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 395-424.
    6. Matthias Fahn & Giorgio Zanarone, 2021. "Pay Transparency Under Subjective Performance Evaluation," CESifo Working Paper Series 8849, CESifo.
    7. Kemal Saygili & Serkan Kucuksenel, 2019. "Other-regarding preferences in organizational hierarchies," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 201-219, April.
    8. Matthias Fahn & Giorgio Zanarone, 2022. "Transparency in relational contracts," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(5), pages 1046-1071, May.
    9. Gürtler, Marc & Gürtler, Oliver, 2014. "The interaction of explicit and implicit contracts: A signaling approach," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 135-146.
    10. Gürtler, Marc & Gürtler, Oliver, 2012. "Inequality aversion and externalities," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 111-117.
    11. Yingchao Zhang & Oliver Fabel & Christian Thomann, 2015. "Pay inequity effects on back-office employees’ job performances: the case of a large insurance firm," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 23(2), pages 421-439, June.
    12. Kragl, Jenny & Gogova, Martina, 2013. "Wage Bargaining when Workers Have Fairness Concerns," VfS Annual Conference 2013 (Duesseldorf): Competition Policy and Regulation in a Global Economic Order 79790, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    13. Robert Dur & Jan Tichem, 2012. "Social Relations and Relational Incentives," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 12-054/1, Tinbergen Institute.
    14. Rasch, Alexander & Wambach, Achim & Wiener, Kristina, 2012. "Bargaining and inequity aversion: On the efficiency of the double auction," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 114(2), pages 178-181.
    15. Florian Baumann & Tim Friehe, 2012. "Emotions in litigation contests," Economics of Governance, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 195-215, September.
    16. Jörg Budde & Matthias Kräkel, 2011. "Limited liability and the risk–incentive relationship," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 97-110, March.
    17. Felix Kölle & Dirk Sliwka & Nannan Zhou, 2016. "Heterogeneity, inequity aversion, and group performance," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 46(2), pages 263-286, February.
    18. Contreras Oscar F. & Giorgio Zanarone, 2018. "Managing Social Comparison Costs in Organizations," Working Papers 2018-25, Banco de México.
    19. Ellen P. Green, 2012. "Payment Mechanisms in the Healthcare Industry: An Experimental Study of Physician Incentives in a Multiple Principal Agent Setting," Working Papers 12-11, University of Delaware, Department of Economics.
    20. Manna, Ester, 2016. "Envy in the workplace," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 18-21.
    21. Michael Krapp & Kai Sandner, 2016. "Impact of an equal pay norm on the optimal design of incentive contracts," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 86(3), pages 301-338, April.
    22. Kragl, Jenny & Bental, Benjamin, 2020. "Other-Regarding Preferences and Incentives in the Societal Context," VfS Annual Conference 2020 (Virtual Conference): Gender Economics 224547, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Principal-agent Relational contract Inequity aversion Envy;

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects
    • M54 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Labor Management

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