A Puncher’s chance: Expected gain and risk taking in a market for superstars

B-Tier
Journal: Labour Economics
Year: 2020
Volume: 66
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Do policies that decrease potential earnings at the top of the income distribution induce agents to alter their risk-taking behavior? To answer this question I collect data on Mixed Martial Arts pomotions. I exploit the fact that one promotion introduced such a policy, while its competitor did not. Using a standard Difference-in-Differences analysis, I find that fighters in the promotion that implemented the policy take significantly less risks after its inception. On top of being statistically significant, the effect is also economically significant: the decrease in frequency of risk-taking ranges from 10% to 26% in the treatment group.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:labeco:v:66:y:2020:i:c:s0927537120300944
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29