Research

Abstract: We examine whether workers who place a higher value on specific job amenities are more likely to receive them in exchange for lower wages. While the classic compensating differentials model (Rosen, 1986) suggests they would, we show that when multiple amenities are considered together, the trade-offs become more complex. We develop a model that accounts for complementarity and substitutability in firms’ amenity offerings and workers’ preferences. Using data from the NLSY97, we find that shorter or more flexible work hours are often traded for other benefits, shaping gender disparities in wages and job amenities.

Abstract: How does early exposure to labor markets affect women’s work in adulthood? Using Indonesian data, I find strong and persistent effects of longer exposure to high-female employment places, especially during the formative years between ages 6 and 15. My estimation strategy compares women who moved from their birthplace at different ages but now live in the same location. I find that women from high-employment areas have 5 percentage points higher employment than those from lower-employment areas, suggesting that about 23% of the spatial inequality in women’s work is passed to the next generation, likely through learning of birthplace gender norms.

Abstract: Do elite universities overpay their faculty? No. Elite institutions offer high salaries because they compete with other elite institutions for the most valued faculty. In contrast to the broader labor market, faculty are equally likely to move up and down the prestige ladder, and they increase their salary either way. We speculate that these differences reflect the visible nature of faculty productivity and the sporadic nature of academic job openings.