Urban Labor Economics

This book studies the links between urban economics and labor economics.

Yves Zenou (Author)

9780521698221, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 27 April 2009

524 pages, 71 b/w illus. 22 tables
22.8 x 15 x 2.7 cm, 0.7 kg

'Yves Zenou provides a lucid theoretical analysis of wage and employment determination in cities. Up to date and comprehensive in its coverage; a brilliant achievement.' Yoram Weiss, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

This book studies the links between urban economics and labor economics. Different models of urban labor economic theory are examined in the initial two parts of this book: first urban search-matching models and then urban efficiency wages. These models are then used to analyze urban ghettos and their consequences for ethnic minorities in the labor market. Professor Zenou first provides different mechanisms for the so-called spatial mismatch hypothesis, which postulates that housing discrimination introduces a key frictional factor that prevents minorities from improving access to job opportunities by relocating their residences closer to jobs. He then explores social networks, which tend to be affected by spatial factors, as workers who are physically close to jobs can be socially far away from them. Based on these models, the author offers different policies aiming at fighting high unemployment rates experienced by ethnic minorities residing in segregated areas.

Introduction
Part I. Urban Search-Matching: 1. Simple models of urban search-matching
2. Extensions of urban search-matching models
3. Non-monocentric cities and search-matching
Part II. Urban Efficiency Wages: 4. Simple models of urban efficiency wages
5. Extensions of urban efficiency wage models
6. Non-monocentric cities and efficiency wages
Part III. Urban Ghettos and the Labor Market: 7. The spatial mismatch hypothesis: a search-matching approach
8. The spatial mismatch hypothesis: an efficiency-wage approach
9. Peer effects, social networks, and labor market outcomes in cities
General conclusion.

Subject Areas: Economic statistics [KCHS], Labour economics [KCF], Economics [KC]