Jaison R. Abel

Gabe T. M. and Abel J. R. Shared knowledge and the coagglomeration of occupations, Regional Studies. This paper examines the extent to which people in different occupations locate near one another, or coagglomerate. Ellison–Glaeser coagglomeration indices are constructed for US occupations and used to investigate factors influencing the geographic concentration of economic activity. Empirical results reveal that occupations with similar knowledge requirements tend to coagglomerate, and the importance of shared knowledge is larger in metropolitan areas than in states. An extension to the main analysis finds that, when focusing on metropolitan areas, the largest effects on coagglomeration are due to shared knowledge about engineering and technology, arts and humanities, manufacturing and production, and mathematics and science.

Though labor market conditions steadily improved following the Great Recession, underemployment among recent college graduates continued to climb, reaching highs not seen since the early 1990s. In this paper, we take a closer look at the jobs held by underemployed college graduates in the early stages of their careers during the first few years after the Great Recession. Contrary to popular perception, we show that relatively few recent graduates were working in low-skilled service jobs, and that many of the underemployed worked in fairly well paid non-college jobs requiring some degree of knowledge and skill. We also find that the likelihood of being underemployed was lower for those with more quantitatively oriented and occupation-specific majors than it was for those with degrees in general fields. Moreover, our analysis suggests that underemployment is a temporary phase for many recent college graduates as they transition to better jobs after spending some time in the labor market, particularly those who start their careers in low-skilled service jobs.

This paper provides an empirical analysis of the extent to which people in different occupations locate near one another, or coagglomerate. We construct pairwise Ellison-Glaeser coagglomeration indices for U.S. occupations and use these measures to investigate the factors influencing the geographic concentration of occupations. The analysis is conducted separately at the metropolitan area and state levels of geography. Empirical results reveal that occupations with similar knowledge requirements tend to coagglomerate and that the importance of this shared knowledge is larger in metropolitan areas than in states. These findings are robust to instrumental variables estimation that relies on an instrument set characterizing the means by which people typically acquire knowledge. An extension to the main analysis finds that, when we focus on metropolitan areas, the largest effects on coagglomeration are due to shared knowledge about the subjects of engineering and technology, arts and humanities, manufacturing and production, and mathematics and science.

We estimate a model of urban productivity in which the agglomeration effect of density is enhanced by a metropolitan area's stock of human capital. Estimation accounts for potential biases due to the endogeneity of density and industrial composition effects. Using new information on output per worker for U.S. metropolitan areas along with a measure of density that accounts for the spatial distribution of population, we find that a doubling of density increases productivity by 2–4 percent. Consistent with theories of learning and knowledge spillovers in cities, we demonstrate that the elasticity of average labor productivity with respect to density increases with human capital. Metropolitan areas with a human capital stock one standard deviation below the mean realize no productivity gain, while doubling density in metropolitan areas with a human capital stock one standard deviation above the mean yields productivity benefits that are about twice the average. These patterns are particularly pronounced in industries where the exchange of information and sharing of ideas are important parts of the production process.

Abel J. R. and Gabe T. M. Human capital and economic activity in urban America, Regional Studies. The relationship between human capital and economic activity in US metropolitan areas is examined, extending the literature in two ways. First, new data on metropolitan area gross domestic product are utilized to measure economic activity. Results show that a 1 percentage point increase in the proportion of residents with a college degree is associated with about a 2% increase in metropolitan area gross domestic product per capita. Second, measures of human capital are developed that reflect the types of knowledge within US metropolitan areas. Regional knowledge stocks related to the provision of producer services and information technology are important determinants of economic vitality. Abel J. R. et Gabe T. M. Le capital humain et l'activité économique dans l'Amérique urbaine, Regional Studies. On examine le rapport entre le capital humain et l'activité économique dans les zones métropolitaines aux Etats-Unis, élargissant la documentation à deux temps. Primo, on emploie de nouvelles données sur le produit intérieur brut des zones métropolitaines afin d'estimer l'activité économique. Les résultats laissent voir qu'une augmentation de 1% de la proportion des habitants diplômés se rapporte à une augmentation de 2% du produit intérieur brut par tête dans les zones métropolitaines. Secundo, on développe des mesures du capital humain qui reflètent la connaissance qui caractérise les zones métropolitaines aux Etats-Unis. Le stock de connaissance régionale qui se rapporte à la fourniture des services aux entreprises et de la technologie de l'information s'avèrent un déterminant non-négligeable de la vitalité économique. Capital humain Connaissance Nouvelle économie Productivité Abel J. R. und Gabe T. M. Humankapital und Wirtschaftsaktivität in Städten der USA, Regional Studies. Wir untersuchen die Beziehung zwischen Humankapital und Wirtschaftsaktivität in Großstadtgebieten der USA und ergänzen die Literatur in diesem Gebiet auf zweierlei Weise. Erstens nutzen wir neue Daten über das Bruttoinlandsprodukt von Großstadtgebieten zur Messung der Wirtschaftsaktivität. Aus den Ergebnissen geht hervor, dass eine einprozentige Erhöhung des Anteils der Einwohner mit Hochschulabschluss mit einer etwa zweiprozentigen Erhöhung des Pro-Kopf-Bruttoinlandsprodukts in einem Großstadtgebiet einhergeht. Zweitens entwickeln wir Maßstäbe für das Humankapital, die den Arten von Wissen in Großstadtgebieten der USA entsprechen. Der regionale Wissensschatz im Zusammenhang mit der Bereitstellung von Wirtschaftsdienstleistungen und Informationstechnik ist ein wichtiger Determinant für die wirtschaftliche Vitalität. Humankapital Wissen Neue Wirtschaft Produktivität Abel J. R. y Gabe T. M. Capital humano y actividad económica en áreas urbanas de los Estados Unidos, Regional Studies. Examinamos la relación entre el capital humano y la actividad económica en las áreas metropolitanas de los Estados Unidos extendiendo la literatura de dos formas. Primero, utilizamos los nuevos datos del producto interno bruto de áreas metropolitanas para medir la actividad económica. Los resultados muestran que un aumento de un 1% en la proporción de residentes con un título universitario se asocia a aproximadamente un aumento de un 2% en el producto interno bruto de áreas metropolitanas per cápita. Segundo, desarrollamos mediciones del capital humano que reflejan los diferentes tipos de conocimiento en las áreas metropolitanas de los Estados Unidos. Los stocks regionales de conocimiento relacionados con el suministro de servicios para productores y la tecnología de la información son determinantes importantes de la vitalidad económica. Capital humano Conocimiento Nueva economía Productividad

We investigate whether the degree production and R&D activities of colleges and universities are related to the amount and types of human capital in the metropolitan areas where they are located. Our results indicate only a small positive relationship exists between a metropolitan area's production and stock of human capital, suggesting that migration plays an important role in the geographic distribution of human capital. We also find that academic R&D activities increase local human capital levels, suggesting that spillovers from such activities can raise the demand for human capital. Consistent with these results, we show that metropolitan areas with more higher education activity tend to have a larger share of workers in high human capital occupations. Thus, this research indicates that colleges and universities can raise local human capital levels by increasing both the supply of and demand for skill.

This paper examines the agglomeration of people working in jobs with similar knowledge requirements, ranging from groups of artists and scientists to service providers and low-skilled labourers. Empirical results from the US suggest that agglomeration enhances earnings in innovation- and creative-based occupations such as artists, engineers, financial executives and information technology workers. In contrast, medical workers, personal service providers and low-skilled labourers do not appear to benefit from agglomeration. Positive agglomeration effects, however, need not lead to a high geographical concentration of economic activity. Rather, an occupation’s ability to concentrate in a few places also depends on the way in which knowledge is disseminated to people outside the occupational cluster.

We estimate a model of urban productivity in which the agglomeration effect of density is enhanced by a metropolitan area’s stock of human capital. Estimation accounts for potential biases due to the endogeneity of density and industrial composition effects. Using new information on output per worker for U.S. metropolitan areas along with a measure of density that accounts for the spatial distribution of population, we find that a doubling of density increases productivity by 2 to 4 percent. Consistent with theories of learning and knowledge spillovers in cities, we demonstrate that the elasticity of average labor productivity with respect to density increases with human capital. Metropolitan areas with a human capital stock one standard deviation below the mean realize no productivity gain, while doubling density in metropolitan areas with a human capital stock one standard deviation above the mean yields productivity benefits that are about twice the average.