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Effects of positive attitude and optimism on employment: Evidence from the US data

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  • Mohanty, Madhu Sudan

Abstract

Using samples from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) and following a bivariate probit approach, the current study estimates the worker's employment probability equations in both cross-sectional and panel data frameworks. The study demonstrates that the employment of the worker, which depends on both the worker's labor market participation decision and the employer's hiring decision, is determined partly by the positive and optimistic attitude of the worker. The effects of these attitude variables on both decisions are even larger than the effects of standard human capital variables. The study further demonstrates that the attitude variables affect employment probabilities of men and women differently because their effects on participation and hiring decisions are different.

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  • Mohanty, Madhu Sudan, 2010. "Effects of positive attitude and optimism on employment: Evidence from the US data," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 258-270, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:39:y:2010:i:2:p:258-270
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    Cited by:

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    3. Budría, Santiago & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, Ada, 2012. "Income Comparisons and Non-Cognitive Skills," IZA Discussion Papers 6419, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Terhi Maczulskij & Jutta Viinikainen, 2015. "Personality characteristics and long-term labor market outcomes: Evidence from twins," Working Papers 299, Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE, The Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE.
    5. Madhu S. Mohanty, 2019. "Role of psychological variables in the determination of the worker's wage: Further evidence from the United States," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(1), pages 54-77, March.
    6. Mohanty, Madhu Sudan, 2012. "Effects of positive attitude and optimism on wage and employment: A double selection approach," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 304-316.
    7. Uysal, Selver Derya & Pohlmeier, Winfried, 2011. "Unemployment duration and personality," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 980-992.
    8. Cuesta, Maite Blázquez & Budría, Santiago, 2017. "Unemployment persistence: How important are non-cognitive skills?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 29-37.
    9. Maite Blázquez Cuesta & Santiago Budría, 2013. "Does income deprivation affect people’s mental well-being?," Working Papers 1312, Banco de España.
    10. Sulca Contreras, Ronny Daniel, 2022. "Demanda de trabajadores con habilidades blandas y nivel de empleabilidad de egresados universitarios [Demand for workers with soft skills and level of employability of university graduates]," MPRA Paper 113695, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 18 May 2022.

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