Teaching Labor Laws: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial in South Africa

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bertrand, Marianne; Crepon, Bruno
• 署名单位: University of Chicago; Institut Polytechnique de Paris; ENSAE Paris
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20190497
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 125-149
• 关键词: Employment protection; CONSEQUENCES; IMPACT

摘要

We assess whether imperfect knowledge of labor regulation hinders job creation at small and medium-sized firms. We partner with a labor law expert organization that provides information about labor regulation via newsletters and access to a specialized website. We randomly assign 1,800 firms to get access to this service for a 21-week period. Six months later, the average employment level at treatment firms was 12 percent higher than at control firms. The intervention decreased the perception that labor regulation is a constraint to hiring and increased optimal employment level.