Partial Specialization and Heterogeneous Task Assignments

Liu, Chen

doi:10.1257/mac.20230209

Abstract

I develop a general equilibrium model featuring multidimensional skills and partial specialization in tasks to quantify the impact of several determinants on within-occupation inequality growth from 1980 to 2000. The model introduces a new mechanism by which demand shifts affect inequality: workers within the same occupation perform multiple and different tasks. I structurally estimate the model using microdata, and account for inequality growth due to three sources: changes in occupation demand, changes in the task content of occupations, and changes in labor composition. My findings indicate that changes in task content explain the majority of within-occupation inequality growth.

蝌蚪网

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Macroeconomics