Peer effects on worker output in the laboratory generalize to the field

We compare estimates of peer effects on worker output in laboratory experiments and field studies from naturally occurring environments. The mean study-level estimate of a change in a worker's productivity in response to an increase in a co-worker's productivity (γ) is γ̂ = 0.12 (SE = 0.03, nstudies = 34), with a between-study standard deviation τ = 0.16. The mean estimated γ̂-values are close between laboratory and field studies (γ̂lab − γ̂field = 0.04, P = 0.55, nlab = 11, nfield = 23), as are estimates of between-study variance τ²(${\hat{\mathrm{\tau }}}_{\mathrm{l}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{b}}^{2}-{\hat{\mathrm{\tau }}}_{\mathrm{f}\mathrm{i}\mathrm{e}\mathrm{l}\mathrm{d}}^{2} = -0.003$, P = 0.89). The small mean difference between laboratory and field estimates holds even after controlling for sample characteristics such as incentive schemes and work complexity (γ̂lab − γ̂field = 0.03, P = 0.62, nsamples = 46). Laboratory experiments generalize quantitatively in that they provide an accurate description of the mean and variance of productivity spillovers.