A construction company offers significantly higher wages to workers assigned to a hazardous job site compared to a similar role in a safer environment. What economic theory best explains this wage differential?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To determine why a construction firm pays higher wages for hazardous job sites, we should examine what each theory says about wage levels and job characteristics.
Option 1: Efficiency wage theory. This theory suggests employers pay above-market wages to boost productivity, reduce turnover, and improve effort. While it can explain high wages in some contexts, it does not specifically address compensation for risk inherent in hazardous environments; it focuses more on productivity gains rather than risk premium for danger. Thus this option is not the best fit for explaining a hazard-related wage premium.
Option 2: Human capital theory. This theory links wages to investments in workers’ skills and education. It would predict higher wages for more skilled workers or those with more training, not necessarily for jobs that are dangerous. It explains wage differences by qualifications rather than risk exposure, so it fails to directly capture the hazard premium.
Option 3: Tournament theory. This theory emphasizes wage dispersion as a means to motivate effort through competitive rankings within a firm, with top performers earning large bonuses. It explains pay structure inside firms rather than adjustments for job risk across roles; it does not specifically justify paying more for danger, so it is not the best explanation here.
Option 4: Compensating wage differentials. This theory directly posits that workers are compensated with higher wages for taking on undesirable or dangerous job attributes, such as exposure to hazards, unpleasant conditions, or higher risk of injury. The wage premium serves to attract and retain workers in riskier positions, aligning precisely with the scenario described.
Option 5: Agency theory. This theory concerns conflicts of interest between principals and agents and how contracts align incentives, often addressing moral hazard or information asymmetry. While relevant to contracts and monitoring, it does not specifically account for higher pay due to job risk as a hedging compensation for danger, so it is not the best explanation for hazard-based wage differentials.
In summary, among the listed theories, compensating wage differentials is the most appropriate framework because it directly links higher pay to the undesirable attribute of working in a hazardous environment, explaining why such a wage premium arises and is maintained in the labor market.

econ_448_120251_246250 Exercise (02/05/2025)

A construction company offers significantly higher wages to workers assigned to a hazardous job site compared to a similar role in a safer environment. What economic theory best explains this wage differential?

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