Data and Code for: Technical Change and Superstar Effects

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Felix Koenig, Carnegie Mellon University

Version:  View help for Version V1

Name File Type Size Last Modified
  code 07/29/2022 08:30:AM
  log 02/13/2022 09:34:PM
  orig 07/23/2022 07:48:PM
  processed_data 02/13/2022 09:35:PM
  results 02/13/2022 09:35:PM
read-me_OCT2.pdf application/pdf 55.3 KB 10/05/2022 10:44:AM

Project Citation: 

Koenig, Felix. Data and Code for: Technical Change and Superstar Effects. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2022. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2022-10-05. https://doi.org/10.3886/E162421V1

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary
Technical change that extends market scale can generate winner-take-all dynamics, with large income growth among top earners. I test this ``superstar model'' in the entertainer labor market, where the historic rollout of television creates a natural experiment in scale-related technological change. The resulting inequality changes are consistent with superstar theory: the launch of a local TV station skews the entertainer wage distribution sharply to the right, with the biggest impact at the very top of the distribution, while negatively impacting workers below the star level. The findings provide evidence of superstar effects and distinguish such effects from popular alternative models.
Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources ESRC Doctoral Training Center at LSE

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms Superstar Effect ; Inequality; Top income; Technical change
JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      D31 Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions
      J23 Labor Demand
      J31 Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
      O33 Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage USA (mainland)
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 1920 – 1970
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) census/enumeration data; other
Collection Notes:  View help for Collection Notes Records from historic television magazines. See README for details on primary sources.

Methodology

Unit(s) of Observation:  View help for Unit(s) of Observation commuting zone
Geographic Unit:  View help for Geographic Unit commuting zone

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Published Versions

V1 [2022-10-05]

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