The Econometric SocietyEdited by: Guido W. Imbens • Print ISSN: 0012-9682 • Online ISSN: 1468-0262
Econometrica: Mar, 2024, Volume 92, Issue 2
https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA16748
p. 467-504
Kyle Herkenhoff, Jeremy Lise, Guido Menzio, Gordon M. Phillips
To what extent is a worker's human capital growth affected by the quality of his coworkers? To answer this question, we develop and estimate a model in which the productivity and the human capital growth of an individual depend on the average human capital of his coworkers. The measured production function is supermodular: The marginal product of a more knowledgeable individual is increasing in the human capital of his coworkers. The measured human capital accumulation function is convex: An individual's human capital growth is increasing in coworkers' human capital only when paired with more knowledgeable coworkers, but independent of coworkers' human capital when paired with less knowledgeable coworkers. Learning from coworkers accounts for two thirds of the stock of human capital accumulated on the job. Technological changes that increase production supermodularity lead to labor market segregation and, by reducing the opportunities for low human capital workers to learn from better coworkers, lead to a decline in aggregate human capital and output.
Kyle Herkenhoff, Jeremy Lise, Guido Menzio, and Gordon Phillips
The replication package for this paper is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10034618. The authors were granted an exemption to publish parts of their data because either access to the data is restricted or the authors do not have the right to republish them. They were also granted an exemption from publishing parts of their code, because the terms of use of their the data does not allow them to share information on some of the variables. The journal checked the public parts of the replication package for their ability to reproduce the results in the paper and approved online appendices. The replication package contains information on how authors can obtain access to the original data and code, archived by the data provider for a period of at least 10 years. During that time, authors commit to assist users who, having obtained access to the confidential part of the package, may have trouble reproducing the results generated from the confidential data and codes.
Kyle Herkenhoff, Jeremy Lise, Guido Menzio, and Gordon Phillips
This appendix contains material not found within the manuscript.
March 5, 2024
The terms of the Editors of the Econometric Society's three journals end June 30, 2025. We are pleased to announce the incoming Editors and to thank the outgoing Editors for their excellent and continuing service.
Econometrica: Since 2019, Guido Imbens has served as the 14th Editor of Econometrica. On July 1, 2025, Marina Halac will become the Editor.
Quantitative Economics: Stéphane Bonhomme has been the Editor of Quantitative Economics since 2021. His successor will be Bernard Salanié.
Theoretical Economics: The Editor of Theoretical Economics since 2021 has been Simon Board. Taking over for him in July 2025 will be Federico Echenique.
Guido, Stéphane, and Simon have been outstanding Editors. We are grateful to them for the work they have done and will continue to do, and we look forward to further congratulating them next year. We believe Marina, Bernard, and Federico will be outstanding successors and we thank them in advance for their service.
Finally, we are grateful to Larry Samuelson for chairing all three search committees, and we thank the search committee members for their hard and fruitful work:
Econometrica: Christian Dustmann, Lars Hansen, Alessandro Lizzeri, George Mailath, Ariel Pakes, Helene Rey, and Elie Tamer.
QE: Kate Ho, Michael Keane, Felix Kubler, Whitney Newey, and Frank Schorfheide.
TE: Jeff Ely, Johannes Horner, Gilat Levy, Meg Meyer, and Ran Spiegler.
