The recent index proposed in Ellison & Glaeser (1997) is now well established as the preferred method for measuring localization of economic activity. We critically review this index and build on the McFadden’s Random Utility (Profit) Maximization framework to develop an alternative measure...

Given its sound theoretical underpinnings, the Random Utility Maximization-based conditional logit model has been the methodological basis for applied research on industrial location decisions. However, in practice, the implementation of this methodology presents problems. A notable one is the...

In this paper we use a novel approach and a large Portuguese employer-employee panel data set to study the hypothesis that industrial agglomeration improves the quality of the firm-worker matching process. Our method makes use of recent developments in the estimation and analysis of models with...

This paper estimates a wage equation with three high-dimensional fixed effects, using a longitudinal matched employer-employee dataset covering virtually all Portuguese wage earners over a little more than two decades. The variation in log real hourly wages is decomposed into different...

In Portugal, as in many other countries in continental Europe, the collective wage agreements between trade unions and employer associations that define wage floors for specific job titles are systematically extended to the whole industry. This means that many firms are obliged to increase the...

Using a longitudinal matched employer-employee data set for Portugal over the 1986-2005 period, this study analyzes the heterogeneity in wages responses to aggregate labor market conditions for newly hired workers and existing workers. Accounting for both worker and firm heterogeneity, the data...

This paper analyzes the early research performance of PhD graduates in labor economics, addressing the following questions: Are there major productivity differences between graduates from American and European institutions? If so, how relevant is the quality of the training received (i.e....

In this paper we describe an alternative iterative approach for the estimation of linear regression models with high-dimensional fixed-effects such as large employer-employee data sets. This approach is computationally intensive but imposes minimum memory requirements. We also show that the...

Given the recent efforts in several countries to reorganize the research institutional setting to improve research productivity, our analysis addresses the following questions: To which extent has the recent awareness over international quality standards in economics around the world been...