Population density varies widely across U.S. cities. A calibrated general equilibrium model in which productivity and quality-of-life differ across locations can account for such variation. Individuals derive utility from consumption of a traded good, a nontraded good, leisure, and...

U.S. residents, both old and young, have been moving en masse to places with nice weather. Well known is the migration towards places with warm winter weather, which is often attributed to the introduction of air conditioning. But people have also been moving to places with cooler, less-humid...

U.S. economic activity is overwhelmingly concentrated at its ocean and Great Lakes coasts, reflecting a large contribution from coastal proximity to productivity and quality of life. Extensively controlling for correlated natural attributes and initial conditions decisively rejects that the...

A neoclassical model of local growth is developed by integrating the static equilibrium underlying compensating differential theory as the steady state of a neoclassical growth model. Numerical results show that even very small frictions to labor and capital mobility along with small changes in...

Labor mobility is introduced into the neoclassical growth model. For a small open economy with capital intensity below its steady-state level, outmigration directly contributes to faster income convergence but also creates a disincentive for gross capital investment. At low relative income...

The US population has been migrating to places with high perceived quality of life. Theoretically, such migration can follow from the increasing demand for amenities that accompanies increasing wealth. Under the baseline calibration of a general equilibrium model, a place with amenities for...

For more than 50 years, suburbs throughout the United States have prospered, while many of the large cities they surround have stagnated. Hence, many people perceive that cities and suburbs tend to grow at each other’s expense—and thus compete for residents and jobs. While there is some...

Over the last few decades the number of U.S. metropolitan areas large enough to host a franchise from one of the four major professional sports leagues has soared. Even as major league baseball, football, basketball and hockey have expanded to include more franchises, demand by metro areas...