Interactions between workers and the technology of production: Evidence from professional baseball

Eric D. Gould*, Eyal Winter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

52 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper shows that workers can affect the productivity of their coworkers based on income maximization considerations, rather than relying on behavioral considerations such as peer pressure, social norms, and shame. We show that a worker's effort has a positive effect on the effort of coworkers if they are complements in production, and a negative effect if they are substitutes. The theory is tested using a panel data set of baseball players from 1970 to 2003. The results are consistent with the idea that the effort choices of workers interact in ways that are dependent on the technology of production.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)188-200
Number of pages13
JournalReview of Economics and Statistics
Volume91
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2009

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Interactions between workers and the technology of production: Evidence from professional baseball'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this