Skilled Labor Productivity and Cross-Country Income Differences

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics
Year: 2023
Volume: 15
Issue: 1
Pages: 240-68

Authors (2)

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper revisits the question of how allowing for imperfect substitution among workers with different skill levels affects the results of development accounting. We consider a range of models that nest the approaches in the literature and calibrate them to a common set of moments, including particularly evidence on the wage gains of migrants. We obtain two main results. First, human capital accounts for between one-half and three-fourths of cross-country income gaps. Second, human capital accounts for only modest variation in the relative productivity of skilled versus unskilled labor.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejmac:v:15:y:2023:i:1:p:240-68
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29