Jacob Mincer: A Founding Father of Modern Labor Economics (Iza Prize in Labor Economics)

The first in a series of books published with the IZA, this book presents and analyzes the work of one of the most important economists of the 20th century--Jacob Mincer. Mincer's work has had a lasting influence on contemporary labor economics in both theoretical and methodological terms. Mincer played a central role in shaping contemporary labor economics, not the least by largely determining its research agenda. His work in the 1960s and 70s on the determinants of individual earnings, notably human capital, and on labor force supply, particularly female participation, have had an enormous impact on the way others have approached labor economics. This book presents a systematic analysis of his extensive published work, emphasising its continuity as a lifetime research program that has made a lasting influence on modern labor economics. Contents......Page 15 List of Tables......Page 17 1. Introduction......Page 19 1.1. A Brief Portrait of Jacob Mincer......Page 20 1.2. Structure of the Book......Page 31 2. The Changing Role of Education in Economic Analysis......Page 35 2.1. Early Debates about the Uses of Human Capital......Page 36 2.2. The Postwar Revival of Growth Analysis......Page 39 2.3. Education and the Debates on Income Distribution......Page 43 2.4. Education and the Labor Market......Page 47 2.5. Concluding Remarks......Page 49 3. Placing Human Capital at the Center of Income Distribution......Page 51 3.1. Early Debates on Income Distribution Analysis......Page 52 3.2. Mincer’s Ph.D. Dissertation......Page 57 3.3. Mincer’s Initial Model......Page 59 3.4. Exploring the Role of Postschool Investments......Page 62 3.5. Schooling, Experience, and Earnings......Page 66 3.6. Extending the Human Capital Model......Page 68 3.7. The Human Capital Earnings Function......Page 70 3.8. Assessing the Explanatory Role of Human Capital in Inequality......Page 73 3.9. Concluding Remarks......Page 77 4.1. Questioning the Role of Human Capital in Explaining Inequality......Page 80 4.2. Qualifications or Credentials?......Page 87 4.3. Identifying the Effects of Education and Ability on Income......Page 95 4.4. Concluding Remarks......Page 98 5. Human Capital and the Long-Term View of the Labor Market......Page 100 5.1. The Transformation of Labor Economics: From Early Twentieth-century Pluralism to Postwar Neoclassical Ascendancy......Page 101 5.2. Mincer’s First Forays into Labor Economics......Page 108 5.3. Paradoxes in Labor Supply......Page 109 5.4. Linking Market and Nonmarket Behavior through the Household......Page 114 5.5. Links between Human Capital and Labor Supply Analysis......Page 116 5.6. The Revised Human Capital Earnings Function......Page 118 5.7. Exploring the Possibilities of Longitudinal Data......Page 121 5.8. Concluding Remarks......Page 125 6. Human Capital and Labor Market Dynamics......Page 127 6.1. Geographical Mobility and Migration......Page 128 6.2. Human Capital and Mobility in the Labor Market......Page 132 6.3. Unemployment and Education......Page 134 6.4. The Impact of Labor Market Regulations on Employment and Training......Page 137 6.5. Economic Growth, Technology, and Employment......Page 141 6.6. Concluding Remarks......Page 147 7. The Influence of Jacob Mincer on Modern Labor Economics......Page 150 7.1. Citation Analysis......Page 151 7.2. Mincer’s Influence as a Teacher......Page 153 7.3. Creating Discipleship and Developing the Human Capital Research Program......Page 160 7.4. Concluding Remarks......Page 168 8. The Human Capital Labor Economist......Page 170 Notes......Page 178 References......Page 196 B......Page 217 D......Page 218 E......Page 219 H......Page 220 L......Page 221 M......Page 222 O......Page 223 R......Page 224 S......Page 225 U......Page 226 Z......Page 227 The original book published with the IZA, this work presents and analyzes the work of one of the most important economists of the 20th century - Jacob Mincer. Mincer's work has had a lasting influence on contemporary labor economics in both theoretical and methodological terms. Mincer played a central role in shaping contemporary labor economics, not the least by largely determining its research agenda. His work in the 1960s and 70s on the determinants of individual earnings, notably human capital, and on labor force supply, particularly female participation, have had an enormous impact on the way others have approached labor economics. This book presents a systematic analysis of his extensive published work, emphasising its continuity as a lifetime research program that has made a lasting influence on modern labor economics. "This book presents and analyzes the work of one of the most important economists of the 20th century - Jacob Mincer. Mincer's work has had a lasting influence on contemporary labor economics in both theoretical and methodological terms. Mincer played a central role in shaping contemporary labor economies, not the least by largely determining its research agenda. His work in the 1960s and 70s on the determinants of individual earnings, notably human capital, and on labor force supply, particularly female participation, have had an enormous impact on the way others have approached labor economics. This book presents a systematic analysis of his extensive published work, emphasizing its continuity as a lifetime research program that has made a lasting influence on modern labor economics."--Jacket The first in a series of books published with the IZA, this book presents and analyzes the work of one of the most important economists of the 20th century - Jacob Mincer. Mincer's work has had a lasting influence on contemporary labor economics in both theoretical and methodological terms. Mincer played a central role in shaping contemporary labor economics, not the least by largely determining its research agenda. His work in the 1960s and 70s on the determinants of individualearnings, notably human capital, and on labor force supply, particularly female participation, have had an enormous i Presenting and analysing the work of one of the most important economists of the 20th century, this book looks at Jacob Mincer, examining his influence in defining the concepts of modern labour economics and human capital