Why the Referential Treatment? Evidence from Field Experiments on Referrals
通过三个在线劳动力市场的现场实验，研究发现推荐能提供关于工人绩效和坚持性的正面信息，且推荐人与被推荐人共同工作时表现更佳，但未发现推荐人因担心影响关系而更努力。
Referred workers are more likely than nonreferred workers to be hired, all else equal. In three field experiments in an online labor market, we examine why. We find that referrals contain positive information about worker performance and persistence that is not contained in workers' observable characteristics. We also find that referrals perform particularly well when working directly with their referrers. However, we do not find evidence that referrals exert more effort because they believe their performance will affect their relationship with their referrer or their referrer's position at the firm.