Why has regional income convergence in the U.S. declined?

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Urban Economics
Year: 2017
Volume: 102
Issue: C
Pages: 76-90

Authors (2)

Ganong, Peter (University of Chicago) Shoag, Daniel (not in RePEc)

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

The past thirty years have seen a dramatic decline in the rate of income convergence across states and in population flows to high-income places. These changes coincide with a disproportionate increase in housing prices in high-income places, a divergence in the skill-specific returns to moving to high-income places, and a redirection of low-skill migration away from high-income places. We develop a model in which rising housing prices in high-income areas deter low-skill migration and slow income convergence. Using a new panel measure of housing supply regulations, we demonstrate the importance of this channel in the data.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:juecon:v:102:y:2017:i:c:p:76-90
Journal Field
Urban
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25