Agglomeration and hours worked

Stuart S. Rosenthal, William C. Strange

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper establishes the existence of a previously overlooked relationship between agglomeration and hours worked. Among nonprofessionals, hours worked decrease with the density of workers in the same occupation. Among professionals, the relationship is positive. This relationship is stronger for the young than for the middle-aged. Moreover, young professional hours worked are especially sensitive to the presence of rivals. The paper shows that these patterns are consistent with the selection of hard workers into cities and with the high productivity of agglomerated labor. The behavior of young professionals is also consistent with the presence of keen rivalry in larger markets, a kind of urban rat race.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)105-118
Number of pages14
JournalReview of Economics and Statistics
Volume90
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Economics and Econometrics

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