Productivity Gains from Geographic Concentration of Human Capital: Evidence from the Cities

30 Pages Posted: 27 Jun 2004 Last revised: 4 Sep 2022

See all articles by James E. Rauch

James E. Rauch

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: November 1991

Abstract

Based on recent theoretical developments I argue that the average level of human capital is a local public good. Cities with higher average levels of human capital should therefore have higher wages and higher land rents. After conditioning on the characteristics of individual workers and dwellings, this prediction is supported by data for Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs) in the United States, where the SMSA average levels of formal education and work experience are used as proxies for the average level of human capital. I evaluate the alternative explanations of omitted SMSA variables and self-selection. I conclude by computing an estimate of the effect of an additional year of average education on total factor productivity.

Suggested Citation

Rauch, James E., Productivity Gains from Geographic Concentration of Human Capital: Evidence from the Cities (November 1991). NBER Working Paper No. w3905, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=227359

James E. Rauch (Contact Author)

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