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The effect of competition on the demand for skilled labor: Matching with externalities in the NBA

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  • Joseph Kuehn

Abstract

I study how heterogeneity in competition can affect the demand for skilled labor in a way that generates a dispersion in productivity across otherwise similar firms. This is explored in the setting of professional basketball where heterogeneity in competition is easily measured. I develop and estimate a matching model with externalities, where the value of a match between a firm and worker depends on the entire allocation of matches. I find that competition has a significant effect on hiring decisions in the National Basketball Association, resulting in a clustering of talent among rivals. A counterfactual shows that competition in the league's playoff format explains 17.59% of the widely observed gap in talent between the league's two conferences.

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  • Joseph Kuehn, 2024. "The effect of competition on the demand for skilled labor: Matching with externalities in the NBA," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(3), pages 539-581, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jemstr:v:33:y:2024:i:3:p:539-581
    DOI: 10.1111/jems.12582
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