Current and Ongoing Research
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_immigrants2019.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
I study the long-run impact of the missions on urban development in California. I find counties with mission history are both more dense and more highly educated than counties without missions. Using historical data on Spanish Missions collated from Mission records, I document that mission instruments are strong predictors of population density. Using county-level data on weekly wages from the QCEW and population data from the Census and ACS, I use mission instruments to estimate the returns to population density in California counties. I estimate the population density elasticity of wages is approximately 1.1, suggesting urban areas show modest returns to scale. In addition, I find that the population density elasticity of wages was greatest at the peak of the dot-com tech boom.
I study the long-run impact of the missions on urban development in California. I find counties with mission history are both more dense and more highly educated than counties without missions. Using historical data on Spanish Missions collated from Mission records, I document that mission instruments are strong predictors of population density. Using county-level data on weekly wages from the QCEW and population data from the Census and ACS, I use mission instruments to estimate the returns to population density in California counties. I estimate the population density elasticity of wages is approximately 1.1, suggesting urban areas show modest returns to scale. In addition, I find that the population density elasticity of wages was greatest at the peak of the dot-com tech boom.
A Comparison of Bedside and Telemedicine Evaluation of the Neonate
with Jennifer Weber, Kristin Sohn, Hadley Sauers-Ford, Sarah Blacher, Daniel Tancredi, James Marcin, and Kristin Hoffman
with Jennifer Weber, Kristin Sohn, Hadley Sauers-Ford, Sarah Blacher, Daniel Tancredi, James Marcin, and Kristin Hoffman
Impact of Sedation Protocol on the Care of Patients in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
with Sara Aghamohammadi, Brent Hall, and James Marcin
with Sara Aghamohammadi, Brent Hall, and James Marcin
Assessing Clinician Comfort with Technology via Survey in a Mental Health Clinical Setting
with Sabrina Ereshefsky, Laura Tully, and Tara Niendam
with Sabrina Ereshefsky, Laura Tully, and Tara Niendam
Assessing the Management and Outcomes of Neck Pain with and without Headache
with Patrick Romano, Joshua Fenton, Jeffrey Hoch, Monika Ray, and Shao-You Fang
with Patrick Romano, Joshua Fenton, Jeffrey Hoch, Monika Ray, and Shao-You Fang
Physicians' Strategies for Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation During Clinical Encounters
with Joy Melnikow, Jingwen Zhang, and Marykate Miller
with Joy Melnikow, Jingwen Zhang, and Marykate Miller
Program Evaluations and Collaborative Research Projects
San Joaquin County Progressive Housing Initiative