薪資報酬議題一直深受關注，其中薪資報酬與績效表現的關係更有其重要性。在此議題上的相關研究，經常受限於薪資資料不易取得，及個人績效表現難以獨立衡量的限制。美國職棒大聯盟(MLB)球員的個人績效，自1871年起即有完整的記錄，球員薪資報酬資料自1985年起也相對完整。基此，本論文以美國職棒大聯盟為研究對象，應用1985年至2010年的縱橫資料，從三個方向探討薪資與績效的關係。首先從個人與團體績效角度探討此議題，目前文獻多著墨在薪資結構對團體績效的影響，但迄今尚無定論。本文除了探討文獻上結論不一致的可能因素，也進一步探究，薪資對個人績效的影響。實證模型中因為涵蓋時間落後變數，因此以GMM動態方式來進行估計。結果顯示：薪資分散程度對球員個人績效的影響，強於對球隊績效表現的影響力。換言之，薪資分散程度較大的球隊，較能夠激勵球員的個人表現；但對球隊整體表現的影響效果並不穩健。本文的實證結果也顯示團隊同心假說(team cohesiveness hypothesis)適用於解釋團體績效表現，錦標理論(tournament theory)則較適用於解釋個人的績效表現。
本文接著以大多數球隊的中期目標: 進入季後賽，做為團體績效衡量的指標，以實證探討薪資不均等變數與前一年度季後賽績效表現，對此團體績效的影響。由GMM及Wooldridge的條件最大概似(Conditional Maximum Likelihood, CML)動態方式估計的結果顯示：前一年度進入季後賽，對進入季後賽的機會並無延續性之影響效果；而薪資不均等對進入季後賽則有較高的影響力，其中球隊間的薪資不均等，相較於各球隊內薪資不均等，對進入季後賽有較強的影響力。
最後，本論文針對打擊與守備不同面向的績效表現，探討其對薪資的影響力。由影響各球隊薪資不均等的主要因素:超級巨星現象(superstar phenomenon)的角度進行分析，針對非投手球員，探討何種層面的個人績效，造就超級巨星的高水準薪資。結果顯示：相較於守備面，打擊面的績效表現，對薪資的影響力較強。雖然統計資料顯示：明星球員相較於非明星球員，在各種層面的績效表現較佳，但本文實證結果指出：只有全壘打的成績，可以顯著影響明星球員的薪資；然而對非明星球員而言，各種層面的打擊績效，皆顯著的影響其薪資水準。

The relationship between salary inequality and performance has become increasingly important. Studies on this topic tend to be limited by the availability of salary information and the difficulty in separating individual performance from team performance. Due to the rich data of Major League Baseball (MLB), this dissertation examines the relationship between pay and performance in MLB from three aspects during the period from 1985 to 2010. First, we examine the relationship from the aspect of individual performance and team performance. Most current empirical studies have explored the effect of salary inequality on team performance, providing mixed evidence. In addition to exploring possible factors for such inconclusive evidence, this dissertation further investigates the effect of salary inequality on individual performances. We then use a team's goal of regular season-postseason participation to provide further evidence of the effect of salary inequality on team performance. This measurement also allows us to explore playoff persistency as it relates to competitive balance. Lastly, this dissertation explores how superstar athletes contribute to salary inequality, as they are the main reason for it. Among players' various performances, certain achievements are more directly associated with winning. As a result, we look at how salary relates to the varied dimension of performance.
Our findings suggest that salary dispersion (intra-team payroll disparity) has a stronger effect on individual performance than on team performance. Larger salary dispersion has a positive effect on individual performance. On the other hand, the relative payroll within MLB (inter-team payroll disparity) has a stronger effect on team performance, and it is significantly positively related to team performance. The chance of entering the playoffs in a current season does not depend on the winning status of the previous season. Payroll does play a more important role than the winning status of the previous season in predicting playoff participation. Finally, we find that the contribution of each performance on teams' objective is not equally weighted in terms of reward. More specifically, hitting performance plays a more important role in the reward system relative to fielding performance. This phenomenon is particular significant for high-paid superstars.

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