How Important Is Discount Rate Heterogeneity for Wealth Inequality?

This paper investigates the role of discount rate heterogeneity for wealth inequality. The key idea is to infer the distribution of preference parameters from the observed age profile of wealth inequality. The contribution of preference heterogeneity to wealth inequality can then be measured using a quantitative life-cycle model. I find that discount rate heterogeneity increases the Gini coefficient of wealth by 0.06 to 0.11. The share of wealth held by the richest 1% of households rises by 0.03 to 0.13. The larger changes occur when altruistic bequests are large and when preferences are strongly persistent across generations. Discount rate heterogeneity also helps account for the large wealth inequality observed among households with similar lifetime earningsWealth inequality; preference heterogeneity

Online Appendix to How Do Taxes Affect Human Capital? The Role of Intergenerational Mobility

This technical appendix extends the model in the published article by allowing the household to choose the amount of time consumed as leisure. Several alternative policy experiments are studied as well.

Do Redistributive Policies Promote Intergenerational Mobility?

Numerous public policies are aimed at improving the earnings opportunities for children of the poor and at reducing lifetime earnings inequality. This paper investigates to what extent such policies accomplish their objectives. A quantitative theory of intergenerational mobility and lifetime earnings inequality is developed and parameterized to match selected features of U.S. data. Numerical experiments are used to measure the steady state effects of policies that increase the returns to human capital accumulation for children of the poor, either by lowering the private costs of education or by reducing labor income taxes for the poor. The main finding is that such policies have very little impact on intergenerational earnings mobility. Moreover, policies that reduce the private costs of education fail to reduce lifetime earnings inequality. These findings suggest that redistributive tax and subsidy policies of the kind studied here may be largely ineffective in promoting equality of opportunity.

How Important is Discount Rate Heterogeneity for Wealth Inequality?

This paper investigates the role of discount rate heterogeneity for wealth inequality. The key idea is to infer the distribution of preference parameters from the observed age profile of wealth inequality. The contribution of preference heterogeneity to wealth inequality can then be measured using a quantitative life-cycle model.I find that discount rate heterogeneity increases the Gini coefficient of wealth by 0.06 to 0.11. The share of wealth held by the richest 1% of households rises by 0.03 to 0.13. The larger changes occur when altruistic bequests are large and when preferences are strongly persistent across generations. Discount rate heterogeneity also helps account for the large wealth inequality observed among households with similar lifetime earnings.wealth inequality, preference heterogeneity

Why does educational attainment differ across U.S. states?

College attainment differs nearly two-fold across U.S. states. This paper shows that highly educated states employ skill-biased technologies, specialize in skill-intensive industries, but do not pay lower skill premia. A theory based on agglomeration economies is developed to account for these observationsEducation, human capital, agglomeration

Why Does Educational Attainment Differ Across U.S. States?

The fraction of persons holding a college degree differs nearly two-fold across U.S. states. This paper documents data related to state educational attainment differences and explores possible explanations. It shows that highly educated states employ skillbiased technologies, specialize in skill-intensive industries, but do not pay lower skill premia than do less educated states. Moreover, measures of urbanization and population density are positively related to educational attainment. Theories based on agglomeration economies offer natural explanations for these observations.education, agglomeration

Student Abilities During the Expansion of U.S. Education, 1950-2000

Since 1950, U.S. educational attainment has increased substantially. While the median student in 1950 dropped out of high school, the median student today attends some college. In an environment with ability heterogeneity and positive sorting between ability and school tenure, the expansion of education implies a decrease in the average ability of students conditional on school attainment. Using a calibrated model of school choice under ability heterogeneity, we investigate the quantitative impact of rising attainment on ability and measured wages. Our findings suggest that the decline in average ability depressed wages conditional on schooling by 31-58 percentage points. We also find that the entire rise in the college wage premium since 1950 can be attributed to the rising mean ability of college graduates relative to high school graduates.Education; ability; skill premium

The widening wage gap between college and high school graduates is down to the growing difference in their ability and test scores

The past century has seen a massive expansion of education in the U.S, with the vast majority now graduating from high school and more than a quarter from college. At the same time, the wage gap between college and high school graduates has grown from 35 to 50 percent. By looking at the results of standardized test scores from two dozen 20th century studies, Todd Schoellman and Lutz Hendricks find that the expansion of education has led to a decline in mean test scores of high school graduates but not college graduates. The change in mean test scores explains why wages for high school workers have grown more slowly than the wages for college workers, and thus why the wage gap between the two groups has grown

Student Abilities During the Expansion of U.S. Education, 1950-2000

Since 1950, U.S. educational attainment has increased substantially. While the median student in 1950 dropped out of high school, the median student today attends some college. In an environment with ability heterogeneity and positive sorting between ability and school tenure, the expansion of education implies a decrease in the average ability of students conditional on school attainment. Using a calibrated model of school choice under ability heterogeneity, we investigate the quantitative impact of rising attainment on ability and measured wages. Our findings suggest that the decline in average ability depressed wages conditional on schooling by 31-58 percentage points. We also find that the entire rise in the college wage premium since 1950 can be attributed to the rising mean ability of college graduates relative to high school graduates

Student Abilities During the Expansion of U.S. Education, 1950-2000

Since 1950, U.S. educational attainment has increased substantially. While the median student in 1950 dropped out of high school, the median student today attends some college. In an environment with ability heterogeneity and positive sorting between ability and school tenure, the expansion of education implies a decrease in the average ability of students conditional on school attainment. Using a calibrated model of school choice under ability heterogeneity, we investigate the quantitative impact of rising attainment on ability and measured wages. Our findings suggest that the decline in average ability depressed wages conditional on schooling by 31-58 percentage points. We also find that the entire rise in the college wage premium since 1950 can be attributed to the rising mean ability of college graduates relative to high school graduates