Voting for Voice: Experimental Evidence on Worker Representation and Complementary Interventions in Firms

Recent research shows that improving worker–manager communication can enhance productivity and job satisfaction, yet rigorous evidence on formal institutions that facilitate worker voice remains limited. We partner with two large manufacturing firms in China, covering 140 production teams and 5,000 workers, to conduct a randomized evaluation of Workplace Cooperation Committees (WCCs) designed to strengthen dialogue between workers and managers. Our design includes: (1) randomized team-level introduction of WCCs with elected worker representatives; (2) within treated teams, randomized variation in electoral competition; and (3) worker-level randomization of soft-skills training. Using administrative data and surveys, we examine: (i) selection into representative roles—who chooses to run and who is elected—and how electoral competition and soft-skills training affect representative quality and performance; (ii) the effects of WCCs on productivity, retention, and job satisfaction; and (iii) how soft-skills training independently and jointly shapes program impacts. The study provides the first causal evidence on how worker–manager dialogue influences outcomes in an industrial setting, and sheds light on how institutional and human capital investments jointly support equitable growth. The results will offer implications for corporate engagement strategies and labor policy design.