Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP2240
Authors: Gene M. Grossman
Abstract: In an economy with imperfect labour contracts, differences in the distribution of human capital are an independent source of comparative advantage. I study a world economy with two sectors, one where output is produced by teams and another where individuals can work alone. When workers' abilities are private information and workers cannot verify the value of output or the level of a firm's profits, feasible labour contracts fail to generate efficient matching of workers within teams. The mismatch of talent on teams is more severe in the country with the more heterogeneous labour force, which generates a comparative disadvantage for this country in team production. Trade exacerbates the 'polarization' of the more diverse society. National income could be raised, and the distribution of income improved, by a marginal expansion in the size of the team sector.
Keywords: labour contracts; diversity; team production; comparative advantage; income distribution
JEL Codes: D51; F11
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| talent distribution (D39) | production efficiency (D24) |
| mismatch of talent on teams (C78) | inefficiencies in worker allocation (J29) |
| imperfect labour contracts (J41) | adverse selection (D82) |
| diverse talent pool (J79) | export of goods produced by individuals (F10) |
| relative price of goods produced by individual activities (P22) | shift of talented workers away from team production (D29) |
| shift of talented workers away from team production (D29) | reduction in average productivity in import-competing sector (F14) |
| shift of talented workers away from team production (D29) | worsening income distribution (D31) |