Personnel economics

by Edward P. Lazear

In this review of the personnel economics literature, we introduce key topics of personnel economics, focus on some relatively new findings that have emerged since prior reviews of some or all of the personnel economics literature, and suggest open questions in personnel economics where future research can make valuable contributions to the literature. We explore five aspects of the employment relationship - incentives, matching firms with workers, compensation, skill development, and the organization of work - reviewing the main theories, empirical tests of those theories, and the open questions in each area.