Better the Devil You Know: Managers’ Networks, Hiring Decisions and Team Performance

The article "Better the Devil You Know: Managers’ Networks, Hiring Decisions, and Team Performance" examines how managers in professional football use their personal networks to make hiring decisions and how this impacts team performance. By analyzing data from both men’s and women’s football, the study finds that managers are significantly more likely to recruit players they have previously worked with, particularly for lower-cost, non-star players.