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Social jobs and the returns to drinking
Scott J Adams1, John S Heywood1, Darin F Ullman2
1University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, USA.
Economics and Human Biology
|May 22, 2022
Summary
Drinking at work offers greater financial rewards in social jobs compared to non-social ones. This suggests alcohol consumption aids in building valuable social capital, particularly beneficial for social careers.
Area of Science:
- Economics
- Sociology
- Organizational Behavior
Background:
- Social capital is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of labor market success.
- The role of workplace behaviors, such as alcohol consumption, in social capital formation remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between workplace drinking and financial returns in different job types.
- To examine whether workplace drinking contributes to the formation of social capital.
Main Methods:
- Econometric analysis of worker data, controlling for individual characteristics and fixed effects.
- Robustness checks including personality traits and different employer contexts.
Main Results:
- Workplace drinking yields significantly higher financial returns in social jobs compared to non-social jobs.
- These returns persist after controlling for confounding factors.
- Drinking is shown to proxy for both general and specific social capital formation.
Conclusions:
- Workplace alcohol consumption can enhance social capital, leading to greater economic benefits, especially in social occupations.
- The findings support the hypothesis that social capital, facilitated by drinking, is more valuable in social job settings.
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