Immigrants and the Great Divergence
Abstract
Since the 1980s, college educated workers have increasingly concentrated in high wage, high rent cities. I find this skill-biased geographic sorting has also coincided with a concentration of immigrants in the same high wage, high rent cities as college educated workers. I find that immigrants' greater degree of labor mobility relative to natives and larger household sizes of immigrant households combine to explain the concentration of immigrants in the same high wage, high rent cities as college educated workers. (JEL: J24, J61, R11, R23)
Since the 1980s, college educated workers have increasingly concentrated in high wage, high rent cities. I find this skill-biased geographic sorting has also coincided with a concentration of immigrants in the same high wage, high rent cities as college educated workers. I find that immigrants' greater degree of labor mobility relative to natives and larger household sizes of immigrant households combine to explain the concentration of immigrants in the same high wage, high rent cities as college educated workers. (JEL: J24, J61, R11, R23)
| ajp_jmp_immigrants.pdf |
Aging, Skill-Biased Structural Change, and Inequality
with Joseph Kopecky
with Joseph Kopecky
Abstract
For all the recent work seeking to understand income inequality, there is little understanding of the forces that drive long run trends in income differentials over time. We study the role that life cycle decision making has in generating inequality in incomes, as well propagating such differentials over long periods of time. We find evidence that young individuals are more flexible in their choice of occupation and sector and are more likely to move toward a high growth sector than similar, but older individuals. We argue that this phenomenon allows for gains from increased productivity in high growth industries to remain concentrated in the short run, only slowly being eroded by labor supply decisions as old, and immobile, workers age out of the work force and are replaced by young workers who can optimally choose their sector of work. To better understand these dynamics we construct a life cycle model of occupational choice.
For all the recent work seeking to understand income inequality, there is little understanding of the forces that drive long run trends in income differentials over time. We study the role that life cycle decision making has in generating inequality in incomes, as well propagating such differentials over long periods of time. We find evidence that young individuals are more flexible in their choice of occupation and sector and are more likely to move toward a high growth sector than similar, but older individuals. We argue that this phenomenon allows for gains from increased productivity in high growth industries to remain concentrated in the short run, only slowly being eroded by labor supply decisions as old, and immobile, workers age out of the work force and are replaced by young workers who can optimally choose their sector of work. To better understand these dynamics we construct a life cycle model of occupational choice.
Cities and Early Agglomeration: Spanish Missions as an Instrument
Abstract
(In progress)
(In progress)
Labor Usage and Output Price in Agriculture: Evidence from Napa County Wineries
with Giovanni Peri
with Giovanni Peri
Abstract
(In progress)
(In progress)
Location in the Production Function: A Melitz-style Regional Model
with Justin Wiltshire
with Justin Wiltshire
Abstract
(In progress)
(In progress)