Research Departments
Research Departments Research at IWH is organised in a matrix. As the primary organisational units, the research departments have been established on a medium to long-term basis.…
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“The Good News about Bad News”: Information about Past Organizational Failure and Its Impact on Worker Productivity
Sabrina Jeworrek, Vanessa Mertins, Michael Vlassopoulos
Leadership Quarterly,
No. 3,
2021
Abstract
Failure in organizations is very common. Little is known about whether leaders should provide information about past organizational failure to followers and how this might affect their future performance. We conducted a field experiment in which we recruited temporary workers to carry out a phone campaign to attract new volunteers and randomly assigned them to either receive or not to receive information about a failed mail campaign pursuing the same goal. We find that informed workers performed better, regardless of whether they had previously worked on the failed mail campaign or not. Evidence from a second field experiment with students asked to support voluntarily a campaign for reducing food waste corroborates the finding. We explore the role of leadership tactics behind our findings in a third online survey experiment. We conclude that information about past failure is unlikely to have a negative impact on work performance, and might even lead to performance improvement. Implications for future research on the relevance of leadership tactics when giving such information are discussed.
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Does Extended Unemployment Benefit Duration Ameliorate the Negative Employment Effects of Job Loss?
Daniel Fackler, Jens Stegmaier, Eva Weigt
Labour Economics,
2019
Abstract
We study the effect of job displacement due to bankruptcies on earnings and employment prospects of displaced workers and analyse whether extended potential unemployment benefit duration (PBD) ameliorates the negative consequences of job loss. Using German administrative linked employer-employee data, we find that job loss has long-lasting negative effects on earnings and employment. Displaced workers also more often end up in irregular employment relationships (part-time, marginal part-time employment, and temporary agency work) than their non-displaced counterparts. Applying a regression discontinuity approach that exploits a three months PBD extension at the age threshold of 50 we find hardly any effects of longer PBD on labour market outcomes of displaced workers.
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"The Good News about Bad News": Information about Past Organisational Failure and its Impact on Worker Productivity
Sabrina Jeworrek, Vanessa Mertins, Michael Vlassopoulos
Abstract
Failure in organisations is a very common phenomenon. Little is known about whether past failure affects workers’ subsequent performance. We conduct a field experiment in which we follow up a failed mail campaign to attract new volunteers with a phone campaign pursuing the same goal. We recruit temporary workers to carry out the phone campaign and randomly assign them to either receive or not receive information about the previous failure and measure their performance. We find that informed workers perform better – in terms of both numbers dialed (about 14% improvement) and completed interviews (about 20% improvement) – regardless of whether they had previously worked on the failed mail campaign. Evidence from a second experiment with student volunteers asked to support a campaign to reduce food waste suggests that the mechanism behind our finding relates to contextual inference: Informing workers/volunteers that they are pursuing a goal that is hard to attain seems to add meaning to the work involved, leading them to exert more effort.
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Economic Transition in Unified Germany and Implications for Korea
Hyung-Gon Jeong, Gerhard Heimpold
H.-G. Jeong and G. Heimpold (eds.): Economic Transition in Unified Germany and Implications for Korea. Policy References 17-13. Sejong: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy,
2017
Abstract
The reunification of Germany, which marked the end of the Cold War in the 20th century, is regarded as one of the most exemplary cases of social integration in human history. Nearly three decades after the German reunification, the economic and social shocks that occurred at the beginning of the reunification process have largely been resolved. Moreover, the unified Germany has grown into one of the most advanced economies in the world.
The unification process that Germany underwent may not necessarily be the way that the Republic of Korea would choose. However, the economic and social exchanges between East and West Germany prior to unification, and the cooperation in a myriad of policies based on these exchanges, served as the crucial foundation for unification. The case of Germany will surely help us find a better way for the re-unification of the Korean Peninsula.
In this context, this is the first edition of a joint research which provides diverse insights on social and economic issues during the process of unification. It consists of nine chapters whose main topics include policies on macroeconomic stabilization, the privatization of state-owned enterprises in East Germany, labor policies and the migration of labor, integration of the social safety nets of the North and South, and securing finances for reunification. To start with, the first part covers macroeconomic stabilization measures, which include policies implemented by the federal government of Germany to overcome macroeconomic shocks directly after the reunification. There was a temporary setback in the economy at the initial phase of reunification as the investment per GDP went down and the level of fiscal debt escalated, reverting to its original trend prior to the reunification. While it appears the momentum for growth was compromised by reunification from the perspective of growth rate of real GDP, this state did not last long and benefits have outpaced the costs since 2000.
In the section which examines the privatization of state-owned enterprises in East Germany, an analysis was conducted on the modernization of industrial infrastructure of East German firms. There was a surge in investment in East German area at the beginning stages but this was focused on a specific group of firms. Most of the firms were privatized through unofficial channels, with a third of these conducted in a management buy-out (MBO) process that was highly effective. Further analysis of a firm called Jenoptik, which was successfully bailed out, is incorporated as to draw implications of its accomplishments.
In the section on migration, we examine how the gap between the unemployment rates in the West and East have narrowed as the population flow shifted from the West to East. Consequently, there was no significant deviation in terms of the Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) per capita in each state of East Germany. However, as the labor market stabilized in East Germany and population flows have weakened, the deviation will become larger. Meanwhile, if we make a prediction about the movement of population between the North and the South, which show a remarkable difference in their economic circumstances, a radical reunification process such as Germany’s case would force 7% of the population of the North to move towards the South. Upon reunification, the estimated unemployment rate in North Korea would remain at least 30% for the time being. In order to reduce the initial unemployment rate, it is crucial to design a program that trains the unemployed and to build a system that predicts changes in labor demand.
It seems nearly impossible to apply the social safety nets of the South to the North, as there is a systemic difference in ideologies. Taking steps toward integration would be the most suitable option in the case of the Koreas. We propose to build a sound groundwork for stabilizing the interest rates and exchange rates, maintain stable fiscal policies, raise momentum for economic growth and make sure people understand the means required to financially support the North in order to reduce the gap between the two.
This book was jointly organized and edited by Dr. Hyung-gon Jeong of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) and Dr. Gerhard Heimpold of the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH). We believe that this report, which examines numerous social and economic agendas that emerged during the reunification of Germany, will provide truly important reference for both Koreas. It is also our view that it will serve as a stepping-stone to establish policies in regard to South-North exchanges across numerous sectors prior to discussions of reunification. KIEP will continue to work with IWH and contribute its expertise to the establishment of grounds for unification policies.
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Adjustments in the Use of Temporary Agency before and during the 2008/2009 Economic Crisis
Steffen Müller
Industrielle Beziehungen,
No. 1,
2014
Abstract
Der Anstieg in der Leiharbeitsnutzung in Deutschland bis zur Wirtschaftskrise der Jahre 2008 und 2009 war geprägt durch die verstärkte Nutzung in größeren Industriebetrieben und vollzog sich in erster Linie entlang der intensive margin, also durch eine erhöhte Leiharbeitsintensität in den Nutzerbetrieben. Diese Vorgänge können mit transaktionskostentheoretischen Argumenten und gestiegenem internationalen Wettbewerbsdruck erklärt werden, und sie deuten auf eine gestiegene Produktivität in den Nutzerbetrieben hin. Der drastische Rückgang in der Leiharbeitsnutzung während der Krise betraf vor allem Exporteure und größere Industriebetriebe und vollzog sich primär entlang der extensive margin. Die Beschäftigungschancen im Leiharbeitssektor hingen in besonders starkem Maße von der internationalen Nachfrage nach deutschen Industriegütern ab.
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The Productivity Effect of Temporary Agency Work: Evidence from German Panel Data
Boris Hirsch, Steffen Müller
Economic Journal,
No. 562,
2012
Abstract
This study investigates the effect of temporary agency work on the user firm’s productivity. We hypothesise that using temporary agency work to enhance numerical flexibility and to screen job candidates may increase productivity, whereas temporary workers’ lower firm-specific human capital and spillover effects on the user’s permanent employees may adversely affect productivity. Other than the sparse existing literature on this issue, we exploit a large panel data set and control for time-invariant and time-varying unobserved heterogeneity by using the system GMM estimator. We find a robust hump-shaped effect of the extent of temporary agency work on the user firm’s productivity.
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The Changing Process of the Quality of Work – 8th Joint Workshop of the IWH and IAB on Labor Market Policy
Herbert S. Buscher
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 11,
2011
Abstract
Am 20. und 21. Oktober 2011 fand zum achten Mal der gemeinsame Workshop des IWH und des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB) in Halle (Saale) statt. Das diesjährige Leitthema befasste sich mit der Qualität der Arbeit im Wandel. Ein Grund für die Wahl des Schwerpunktthemas war, dass sich seit einiger Zeit auf dem Arbeitsmarkt ein Trend zu sinkenden Arbeitslosenzahlen abzeichnet. Dies wird oft als Beleg einer erfolgreichen Arbeitsmarktpolitik gewertet. Der Fokus auf rein quantitative Aspekte vernachlässigt allerdings die Qualität von Beschäftigung. In den letzten Jahren ist zugleich die Rede von einem Wandel der Arbeitswelt. Dabei wird (Erwerbs-)Arbeit in der Arbeitsmarktforschung nicht nur unter den Gesichtspunkten Einkommen,
Beschäftigungssicherheit und Aufstiegsmöglichkeiten betrachtet. Zunehmend rücken auch Aspekte wie die Sinnhaftigkeit von Tätigkeiten, Work-Life-Balance, Selbstverwirklichung, Autonomie und Arbeitszufriedenheit in den Mittelpunkt.
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Temporary Work in Germany and Europe
C. Boost, Herbert S. Buscher
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 2,
2009
Abstract
Die Zeitarbeitsbranche ist eine der schnellstwachsenden Branchen in Deutschland. Diese Entwicklung beeinflusst den gesamten deutschen Arbeitsmarkt nachhaltig. Die besondere Ausgestaltung dieser Beschäftigungsform macht sie sowohl für Arbeitgeber als auch für Arbeitnehmer aus verschiedenen Gründen attraktiv. Trotz allem genießt die Branche nicht durchgängig einen guten Ruf. Die Beschäftigungsform zählt zu den prekären, unsicheren Arbeitsverhältnissen und gilt im Vergleich zu regulären Beschäftigungsverhältnissen vielfach als Brückenfunktion in eine reguläre Beschäftigung.
Auf Basis der Arbeitnehmerüberlassungsstatistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit sowie des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels 2007 werden Stand und Ausprägung wichtiger Merkmale der Zeitarbeit dargestellt und regional sowie international verglichen.
Noch machen die Beschäftigten der Zeitarbeit nur einen marginalen Anteil an allen Erwerbstätigen aus. Die zukünftige Entwicklung der Branche hängt von unterschiedlichen Faktoren ab und könnte in gegensätzliche Richtungen gehen. Der Flexibilisierungsgrad des klassischen Arbeitsmarkts sowie die Anpassung der Zeitarbeitsbranche an den Beschäftigungsmarkt beeinflussen die Zukunft der Zeitarbeit. Andere europäische Länder zeigen bereits heute einerseits Sättigungsgrenzen und andererseits mögliche Ausbreitungsspektren.
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