nep-spo New Economics Papers
on Sports and Economics
Issue of 2014‒02‒21
one paper chosen by
Joao Carlos Correia Leitao
Universidade da Beira Interior and Universidade de Lisboa

  1. Hierarchical Organization and Performance Inequality: Evidence from Professional Cycling By Bertrand Candelon; Arnaud Dupuy

  1. By: Bertrand Candelon; Arnaud Dupuy
    Abstract: This paper proposes an equilibrium theory of the organization of work in an economy with an implicit market for productive time. In this market, agents buy or sell productive time. This implicit market gives rise to the formation of teams, organized in hierarchies with one leader (buyer) at the top and helpers (sellers) below. Relative to autarky, hierarchical organization leads to higher within and between team payo¤s/productivity inequality. This prediction is tested empir ically in the context of professional road cycling. We show that the observed rise in performance inequality in the peloton since the 1970s is merely due to a rise in help intensity within team and consistent with a change in the hierarchical organization of teams.
    Keywords: Hierarchical organization, productive time, helping time,inequality, professional cycling.
    JEL: D2 D3 L22
    Date: 2014–01–06
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipg:wpaper:2014-044&r=spo

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