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Working Paper
Talent, labor quality, and economic development
We develop a theory of labor quality based on (i) the division of the labor force> between unskilled and skilled workers and (ii) investments in skilled workers. In our> theory, countries differ in two key dimensions: talent and total factor productivity> (TFP). We measure talent using the observed achievement levels from the Programme> for International Student Assessment (PISA) scores. Our findings imply that the qual-> ity of labor in rich countries is about twice as large as the quality in poor countries.> Thus, the implied disparities in TFP levels are smaller relative to the standard ...
Working Paper
Comparative advantage and risk premia in labor markets
Using the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), we document a significant and positive association between earnings risk (both permanent and transitory) and the level of earnings across 21 industries. We propose an equilibrium framework to analyze the interplay between earnings volatility and the distribution of skills across workers in determining a relationship between earnings and risk. We use the model to decompose how much of the empirical correlation represents compensation for risk and how much represents selection. The positive association between permanent risk and ...