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American Economic Journal: Applied Economics: Vol. 3 No. 1 (January 2011)

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Was There Really a Hawthorne Effect at the Hawthorne Plant? An Analysis of the Original Illumination Experiments

Article Citation

Levitt, Steven D., and John A. List. 2011. "Was There Really a Hawthorne Effect at the Hawthorne Plant? An Analysis of the Original Illumination Experiments." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3(1): 224-38.

DOI: 10.1257/app.3.1.224

Abstract

The "Hawthorne effect" draws its name from a landmark set of studies conducted at the Hawthorne plant in the 1920s. The data from the first and most influential of these studies, the "Illumination Experiment," were never formally analyzed and were thought to have been destroyed. Our research has uncovered these data. Existing descriptions of supposedly remarkable data patterns prove to be entirely fictional. We do find more subtle manifestations of possible Hawthorne effects. We also propose a new means of testing for Hawthorne effects based on excess responsiveness to experimenter- induced variations relative to naturally occurring variation. (JEL C90, J24, J28, M12, M54, N32)

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Authors

Levitt, Steven D. (U Chicago)
List, John A. (U Chicago)

JEL Classifications

C90: Design of Experiments: General
J24: Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
J28: Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
M12: Personnel Management; Executive Compensation
M54: Personnel Economics: Labor Management
N32: Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy: U.S.; Canada: 1913-

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