1. About the IWH
  2. Team
  3. Economists

Professor Dr Sabrina Jeworrek

Professor Dr Sabrina Jeworrek
Current Position

since 12/23

Deputy Head of the Department of Laws, Regulations and Factor Markets

Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association

since 12/23

Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management

Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

since 7/17

Head of the Research Group Organisational Behaviour and Corporate Success

Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association

read CV
Research Interests
  • behavioural and experimental economics
  • empirical personnel and labour market economics
  • non-monetary incentive systems and employee motivation

Sabrina Jeworrek is Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management at Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and Deputy Head of the Department of Laws, Regulations and Factor Markets at IWH since December 2023. She joined the institute in 2016 initially in the Department of Structural Change and Productivity and holds the position of EconBiz advisory board member since 2017. Her research focuses on behavioural economics and employee motivation.

Sabrina Jeworrek obtained her bachelor's and master's degree from University of Marburg and a PhD from Trier University at IAAEU (Institute for Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union).

Your contact

Professor Dr Sabrina Jeworrek
Professor Dr Sabrina Jeworrek
- Department Laws, Regulations and Factor Markets
Send Message +49 345 7753-730 Personal page

Publications

Citations
348

cover_business-ethics-the-environment-and-responsibility.png

Feeling Obliged to Follow: The Impact of Work-Related Identity on Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior and the Role of Psychological Empowering

Sabrina Jeworrek Christoph Ostermaier Joschka Waibel

in: Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility, forthcoming

Abstract

This study examines why people engage in unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB) by focusing on an overlooked mechanism: the mere fact of being a subordinate at the workplace. To establish a causal relationship, we conducted an online experiment with 615 full-time employees. We primed participants with private versus work-related contexts before instructing them to follow a rule that was beneficial for the organization but potentially unethical. We find that individuals high in power distance orientation engage to a greater extent in UPB after being primed on their work-related identity. Our results further emphasize that empowering leadership can mitigate this effect: For participants high in power distance, empowering messages eliminated the priming effect; their UPB levels matched those in the private control group. Thus, our study makes three key contributions: First, we add to the discussion of UPB antecedents. Second, we identify organizations that may be particularly vulnerable. Third, we point to strategies that could reduce UPB.

read publication
cover_journal-of-economic-behavior-and-organization.jpg

Inflation Concerns and Green Product Consumption: Evidence From a Nationwide Survey and a Framed Field Experiment

Sabrina Jeworrek Lena Tonzer

in: Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Vol. 248 (August), 2026

Abstract

Promoting green (usually more costly) product consumption is one essential element in building a sustainable society. In times of high inflation, not only budget constraints but also the fear that prices will continue to rise might limit the effectiveness of exerted efforts to promote sustainable behaviors. To test this suggestion, we conducted a Germany-wide survey with almost 1200 respondents, followed by a framed field experiment to confirm causality. Our proxy for green consumption is organic food purchases. Survey respondents’ stated organic purchasing behavior is positively correlated with concerns about climate change but negatively correlated with concerns about inflation. The latter result is driven by individuals with a below-median environmental attitude. In the framed field experiment, we use the priming method to manipulate the saliency of inflation concerns. Whereas sizably relaxing the budget constraint has no impact on the share of organic products in participants’ baskets, the priming significantly decreases the share of organic products for individuals with below-median environmental attitude. Using the same inflation priming in a subsequent survey experiment with around 1800 respondents, we find that high inflationary environments affect both the perception of organic being luxury products and the social norm of buying organic. Both effects are more pronounced for individuals with below-median environmental attitude and, hence, they are the likely mechanisms driving the negative effects on organic product consumption.

read publication
cover_economics-letters.gif

Inflation Concerns and Financial Stress

Sabrina Jeworrek Lena Tonzer

in: Economics Letters, Vol. 254 (August), 2025

Abstract

We provide evidence for a psychological component of inflation concerns. Higher inflation concerns relate in a positive and significant way to respondents’ reported levels of concerns about their financial situation. Results hold when controlling for income and financial constraints.

read publication
Browse all refereed publications

Working Papers

cover_DP_2022-27.jpg

Where to Go? High-skilled Individuals’ Regional Preferences

Sabrina Jeworrek Matthias Brachert

in: IWH Discussion Papers, No. 27, 2022

Abstract

We conduct a discrete choice experiment to investigate how the location of a firm in a rural or urban region affects job attractiveness and contributes to the spatial sorting of university students and graduates. We characterize the attractiveness of a location based on several dimensions (social life, public infrastructure, connectivity) and combine this information with an urban or rural attribution. We also vary job design as well as contractual characteristics of the job. We find that job offers from companies in rural areas are generally considered less attractive. This is true regardless of the attractiveness of the region. The negative perception is particularly pronounced among persons with urban origin and singles. These persons rate job offers from rural regions significantly worse. In contrast, high-skilled individuals who originate from rural areas as well as individuals with partners and kids have no specific preference for jobs in urban or rural areas.

read publication
cover_DP_2021-8.jpg

Alone at Home: The Impact of Social Distancing on Norm-consistent Behavior

Sabrina Jeworrek Joschka Waibel

in: IWH Discussion Papers, No. 8, 2021

Abstract

Around the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned daily live upside down since social distancing is probably the most effective means of containing the virus until herd immunity is reached. Social norms have been shown to be an important determinant of social distancing behaviors. By conducting two experiments and using the priming method to manipulate social isolation recollections, we study whether social distancing has in turn affected norms of prosociality and norm compliance. The normative expectations of what behaviors others would approve or disapprove in our experimental setting did not change. Looking at actual behavior, however, we find that persistent social distancing indeed caused a decline in prosociality – even after the relaxation of social distancing rules and in times of optimism. At the same time, our results contain some good news since subjects seem still to care for norms and become more prosocial once again after we draw their attention to the empirical norm of how others have previously behaved in a similar situation.

read publication
Browse all working papers
Mitglied der Leibniz-Gemeinschaft LogoTotal-Equality-LogoSupported by the BMWK