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On the Use of Incentive Pay in Chinese State‐owned Enterprises: The Role of Hierarchy

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  • Frank Bodmer

Abstract

. This paper looks at the wage system in Chinese state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) during the 1980s. While wages remained compressed, there is evidence for the use of incentive mechanisms. Wages were quite sensitive to firm performance, especially at higher levels of the hierarchy. One of the reform measures — the Internal Salary System, a system of intra‐firm contracts — has contributed significantly to this sensitivity. There is also some direct evidence that it enhanced the effectiveness of the bonus system, and that it helped to increase productivity. This goes towards explaining how the Chinese bonus system was able to overcome the free‐rider problems typical of team compensation.

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  • Frank Bodmer, 2003. "On the Use of Incentive Pay in Chinese State‐owned Enterprises: The Role of Hierarchy," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 17(2), pages 299-314, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:labour:v:17:y:2003:i:2:p:299-314
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-9914.00232
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Muddassar Sarfraz & Syed G. M. Shah & Zeeshan Fareed & Farrukh Shahzad, 2020. "Demonstrating the interconnection of hierarchical order disturbances in CEO succession with corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2956-2971, November.
    3. Dong, Xiao-Yuan, 2005. "Wage inequality and between-firm wage dispersion in the 1990s: A comparison of rural and urban enterprises in China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 664-687, December.
    4. Wenjuan Xie, 2013. "Do Investors See Through Accounting Profitability and Recognize Efficiency? Evidence from Chinese Listed Companies," Multinational Finance Journal, Multinational Finance Journal, vol. 17(3-4), pages 243-293, September.

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