Based on long US time series we document a range of empirical properties of the labor’s share of GDP, including its substantial medium-run swings. We explore the extent to which these empirical regularities can be explained by a calibrated micro-founded long-run economic growth model with...

We document the consequences of ambiguity in the empirical definition of the macroeconomic labor share. Depending on its definition, the properties of short-run fluctuations, medium-run swings, and long-run stochastic trends of the labor share may vary substantially. Based on a range of...

Labor's share of income has attracted interest in recent years reflecting its apparent decline. These falls, witnessed across many countries, are usually deemed undesirable. Any such assertion, however, begs the question of what is the socially optimal labor share. We address this question using...

We introduce fertility choice into an R&D-based semi-endogenous growth model so that the economy's long-run growth rate is again fully endogenously determined. The ultimate growth engine is located in the population equation of the model ("people reproduce in proportion to their number"), and...

We derive an R&D-based semi-endogenous growth model where technological progressdepends on the available amount of technological opportunity. Incremental innovationsprovide direct increases in the knowledge stock but they reduce technological opportunityand thus the potential for further...