The U.S. minimum wage declined in real terms since the late 1970s. In the same time, the wage of the least skilled workers fell in real terms, while the wage of the highest skilled workers increased. To shed light on these issues, I use a simple model of routinization. High-ability workers,...

The paper integrates human-capital investments of heterogeneous individuals into a neoclassical growth framework. The accumulation of physical capital changes relative factor prices and thus incentives to acquire skills, thereby altering the composition of the labor force. This interplay between...

According to empirical studies, the relation between the relative wage of skilled workers and their relative supply is U-shaped. This finding is explained by the effect of technological change on the incentives for humancapital investments made by heterogeneous individuals.

This paper shows that endogenous adjustments in the composition of labor supplies magnify the effects of changes in commodity prices on the measured skill premium under quite plausible conditions. These composition effects arise from decisions of individuals with heterogeneous inherent abilities...