Imperfect Competition and Rents in Labor and Product Markets: The Case of the Construction Industry

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2025
Volume: 115
Issue: 9
Pages: 2926-69

Authors (4)

Kory Kroft (University of Toronto) Yao Luo (not in RePEc) Magne Mogstad (University of Chicago) Bradley Setzler (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

We develop, identify, and estimate a model of imperfect competition in both labor and product markets. Our context is the US construction industry, where firms compete for workers, private market projects, and government procurements. Our empirical approach leverages bidding data from procurement auctions linked to employer-employee tax records. We find imperfect competition in both markets generates a total wage markdown of more than 30 percent and a total price markup of around 45 percent. By contrast, if one erroneously assumed a perfectly competitive product (labor) market, then one would conclude wages (prices) are marked down (up) by only 20 percent (16 percent).

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:115:y:2025:i:9:p:2926-69
Journal Field
General
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25