Doctoral Dissertation Research in Economics: Dissecting Piece Rate: Evidence from a Natural Experiment in a Garment Factory

计件工资制是制造业广受欢迎的一种支付机制，但一些雇主因多种原因难以改用这种制度。虽然理论工作认为计件工资会激励个体工人的努力，但目前尚不清楚从固定工资制转变为计件工资制是否会提高工人的整体生产率，因为计件工资通过多个可能相互冲突的渠道影响劳动生产率。本研究项目利用某服装制造厂由固定工资制向计件工资制转变的过程，研究计件工资对生产率的影响。研究人员将研究计件工资支付制度如何通过加强绩效监控、激励个人努力以及招聘和留住更有生产力的工人来影响生产率。创新的研究设计将允许研究人员分解每一种生产率变化机制的单独影响。这项研究的结果将指导美国企业如何实施奖励生产率的工资制度，从而促进经济增长和改善公民福祉。DDRIG的这一研究项目将利用在一家服装厂引入计件工资制度来研究相对于固定工资制度，计件工资制度是否提高了整体劳动生产率，如果是的话，这些劳动生产率变化发生的机制。工厂将实施两项干预措施-基于绩效的工资计划和工人监控系统。这些干预措施的实施是交错的，这种交错的推出使私人投资机构能够区分-增加监测、激励个别工人或招聘和留住高生产率工人-通过这些机制，基于绩效的工资影响劳动生产率。人员流动率和对绩效工资的不同处理将使私人投资经理能够分析将工人分类到不同绩效组的情况。这项研究的结果将指导美国企业如何实施奖励生产率的工资制度，从而促进经济增长和改善公民福祉。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Piece-rate wage system is a popular payment mechanism in the manufacturing sector, but some employers find it difficult to switch to this system for many reasons. While theoretical work argues that piece-rate wage motivates individual worker effort, it is unclear whether switching from a fixed-wage to piece-rate wage system increases overall worker productivity since piece rates affect labor productivity through multiple channels that may conflict with each other. This research project takes advantage of an on-going process of change from a fixed wage to a piece-rate wage system in one garment manufacturing plant to study the effects of piece-rate wage on productivity. The researchers will study how piece-rate wage payment system affects productivity through increased performance monitoring, motivation of individual efforts, as well as recruitment and retention of more productive workers. The innovative research design will allow the researchers to unbundle the separate effect of each productivity changing mechanism. The results of this research will guide US businesses on how to implement wage systems that reward productivity, hence increase economic growth and improve the well-being of citizens. This DDRIG research project will leverage the introduction of piece-rate wage system in a garment factory to study whether piece-rate wage system increases overall labor productivity relative to a fixed wage system and if so, the mechanisms through which these labor productivity changes occur. The factory will implement two interventions---performance-based wage scheme and a worker monitoring system. The implementation of these interventions is staggered, and this staggered roll-out allows the PIs to distinguish the mechanisms---increase monitoring, motivation of individual workers, or recruitment and retention of highly productive workers---through which performance-based wages affect labor productivity. Turnover and heterogeneous treatment of performance-based wages will allow the PIs to analyze sorting of workers into different performance groups. The results of this research will guide US businesses on how to implement wage systems that rewards productivity, hence increase economic growth and improve the well-being of citizens.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.