By Nickolas Remish

Faculty Mentor: Brad Hansen

Abstract

Non-compete agreements are pervasive throughout the United States. Employers seek assurances that a disgruntled employee will not leave the firm and join a competitor. The economic theory behind non-compete agreements is complicated; the benefits usually accrue with high-skilled jobs where a firm’s investment in their worker’s abilities is substantial. On the state level, non-compete agreements are regulated differently across the fifty states. Nationally, the political divide clearly marks which parties endorse and dislike restrictions against worker mobility. The politics of non-compete agreements when examining the states becomes significantly more muddled. The political determinants of non-compete agreements on the state level will be the focus of this study.