Publications by Topic

David Autor with students at Committed to Caring event photo shoot

Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

On the Persistence of the China Shock

Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, forthcoming
David Autor, Gordon Hanson, David Dorn
October 2021
Quarterly Journal of Economics

Marginal Effects of Merit Aid for Low-Income Students

Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol.137 (2), 1039-1090
Josh Angrist, David Autor and Amanda Pallais
May 2022
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Sources

Replication Files
Labor Economics

Artificial Intelligence and Jobs - Evidence from Online Vacancies

Journal of Labor Economics, 40(S1), pp. S293-S340.
Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, Jonathon Hazell, Pascual Restrepo
April 2022
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Faltering Escalator of Urban Opportunity

in Securing Our Economic Future, Melissa S Kearney and Amy Ganz (eds.), 108–36, Aspen Institut
David H. Autor
December 2020
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Importing Political Polarization? The Electoral Consequences of Rising Trade Exposure

American Economic Review, 2020, 110(10), 3139–3183
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson, Kaveh Majlesi
October 2020
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Fall of the Labor Share and the Rise of Superstar Firms

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 135(2), 645–709
David Autor, David Dorn, Lawrence F. Katz, Christina Patterson, John Van Reenen
May 2020
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Foreign Competition and Domestic Innovation: Evidence from U.S. Patents

American Economic Review: Insights, 2(3), 357-374.
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon H. Hanson, Gary Pisano, Pian Shu
September 2020
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Work of the Past, Work of the Future

Richard T. Ely Lecture, American Economic Association: Papers and Proceeding, 109(5), 1–32
David Autor
May 2019
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

When Work Disappears: Manufacturing Decline and the Falling Marriage-Market Value of Young Men

American Economic Review: Insights, 1(2): 161-178.
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
January 2019
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Family Disadvantage and the Gender Gap in Behavioral and Educational Outcomes

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 11(3), 338–381
David Autor, David Figlio, Krzysztof Karbownik, Jeffrey Roth, Melanie Wasserman
July 2019
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Is Automation Labor-Share Displacing: Productivity Growth, Employment, and the Labor Share

Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 1-63
David Autor, Anna Salomons
May 2018
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Trade and Labor Markets: Lessons from China's Rise

IZA World of Labor, 2018:431
David Autor
February 2018
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Concentrating on the Falling Labor Share

American Economic Review Papers & Proceedings, 107(5): 180–185
David Autor, David Dorn, Lawrence Katz, Christina Patterson, John Van Reenen
May 2017
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Response to Robert Feenstra, Hong Ma, and Yuan Xu’s Comment on Autor, Dorn, and Hanson (AER 2013)

MIT Working Paper
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
April 2017
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Comment on Jonathan Rothwell's Critique of Autor, Dorn, and Hanson (2013)

MIT Working Paper
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
March 2017
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

A Note on the Effect of Rising Trade Exposure on the 2016 Presidential Election

MIT Working Paper
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson, Kaveh Majlesi
January 2017
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

How Long Has This Been Going On? A Discussion of “Recent Flattening in the Higher Education Wage Premium: Polarization, Skill Downgrading, or Both?” by Robert G. Valletta

NBER Conference on Research and Income in Wealth, forthcoming
David Autor
January 2017
Labor Economics, Econometrics

Evaluating Post-Secondary Aid: Enrollment, Persistence, and Projected Completion Effects

Joshua Angrist, David Autor, Sally Hudson, Amanda Pallais
December 2016
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The China Shock: Learning from Labor Market Adjustment to Large Changes in Trade

Annual Review of Economics, 8, 205–240.
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
August 2016
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

School Quality and the Gender Gap in Educational Achievement

American Economic Review: Papers & Proceedings, 106(5), 289–295.
David H. Autor, David N. Figlio, Krzysztof Karbownik, Jeffrey Roth, Melanie Wasserman
May 2016
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Sources

Replication files and instructions File package containing datasets, and do-files (zipped)
International Economics, Labor Economics

Import Competition and the Great US Employment Sag of the 2000s

Journal of Labor Economics, 34(S1), pp. S141-S198
Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon H. Hanson, Brendan Price
January 2016
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Contribution of the Minimum Wage to U.S. Wage Inequality over Three Decades: A Reassessment

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8(1), 58–99.
David Autor, Alan Manning, Christopher L. Smith
January 2016
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Sources

File package containing datasets, do-files, and log files (zipped)
Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Political Economy, Public Economics

Why Are There Still So Many Jobs? The History and Future of Workplace Automation

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 29(3), 3–30.
David H. Autor
August 2015

Sources

Replication Package: Data, Code, Log Files, and Readme file
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Untangling Trade and Technology: Evidence from Local Labor Markets

The Economic Journal, 125 (May), 621–646
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
May 2015

Sources

File package containing do-files (zipped)
Labor Economics, Econometrics

Evaluating Econometric Evaluations of Post-Secondary Aid

American Economic Review, 105(5), 502-507
Joshua Angrist, David Autor, Sally Hudson, Amanda Pallais
May 2015
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Polanyi's Paradox and the Shape of Employment Growth

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City: Economic Policy Proceedings, Reevaluating Labor Market Dynamics. 129–177.
David H. Autor
April 2015
Labor Economics, Econometrics

Leveling Up: Early Results from a Randomized Evaluation of Post-Secondary Aid

Joshua Angrist, David Autor, Sally Hudson, Amanda Pallais
March 2017
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Trade Adjustment: Worker Level Evidence

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(4), 1799–1860.
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson, Jae Song
September 2014
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Skills, Education, and the Rise of Earnings Inequality Among the "Other 99 Percent"

Science: 344 (6186), 843–851
David H. Autor
May 2014
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Sources

Replication files and instructions
Labor Economics, Macroeconomics

Return of the Solow Paradox: IT, Productivity, and Employment in US Manufacturing

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 104(5), pp. 394–399.
Daron Acemoglu, David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon H. Hanson, Brendan Price
January 2014

Sources

File package containing datasets, do-files, and log files (zipped)
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The China Syndrome: Local Labor Market Effects of Import Competition in the United States

American Economic Review, 103(6), 2121–2168
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
October 2013

Sources

File package containing datasets, do-files, and log files (zipped)
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Growth of Low-Skill Service Jobs and the Polarization of the U.S. Labor Market

American Economic Review, 103(5), 1553–1597
David Autor, David Dorn
August 2013
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Changing Task Composition of the US Labor Market: An Update of Autor, Levy, and Murnane (2003)

MIT Working Paper
David H. Autor, Brendan Price
June 2013
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Geography of Trade and Technology Shocks in the United States

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings 103(3), 220–225
David Autor, David Dorn, Gordon Hanson
May 2013
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Putting Tasks to the Test: Human Capital, Job Tasks and Wages

Journal of Labor Economics, 31(2, pt.2), S59–S96.
David Autor, Michael Handel
April 2013
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Wayward Sons: The Emerging Gender Gap in Labor Markets and Education

Third Way
David Autor, Melanie Wasserman
March 2013
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The “Task Approach” to Labor Markets: An Overview

Journal for Labour Market Research, 1–15.
David H. Autor
February 2013
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Economic Theory, Political Economy

What Does Human Capital Do? A Review of Goldin and Katz's The Race between Education and Technology

Journal of Economic Literature, 50(2), pp. 426–463
Daron Acemoglu, David Autor
June 2012
Handbook of Labor Economics 4(B)
Labor Economics, Macroeconomics

Skills, Tasks and Technologies: Implications for Employment and Earnings

Handbook of Labor Economics, 4(B), pp. 1043-1171
Daron Acemoglu, David Autor
June 2011
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

U.S. Labor Market Challenges over the Longer Term

paper prepared for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors
David H. Autor
October 2010
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Polarization of Job Opportunities in the U.S. Labor Market: Implications for Employment and Earnings

Center for American Progress and The Hamilton Project
David H. Autor
April 2010
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Structural Demand Shifts and Potential Labor Supply Responses in the New Century

Labor Supply in the New Century. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Sztrecska Publishing: Sabon, in Katharine Bradbury, Christopher L. Foote, and Robert K. Triest. (eds). 161–238.
David H. Autor
January 2010

Sources

File package containing datasets, do-files, and log files (zipped)
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

This Job is “Getting Old”: Measuring Changes in Job Opportunities using Occupational Age Structure

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 99(2), 45–51
David Autor, David Dorn
May 2009
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Trends in U.S. Wage Inequality: Revising the Revisionists

Review of Economics and Statistics, 90(2), 300–323
David H. Autor, Lawrence F. Katz, Melissa S. Kearney
May 2008

Sources

NBER Working Paper
Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Political Economy, Public Economics

The Polarization of the U.S. Labor Market

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 96(2), 189–194
David H. Autor, Lawrence F. Katz, Melissa S. Kearney
May 2006
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Rising Wage Inequality: The Role of Composition and Prices

NBER Working Paper No. 11628
David H. Autor, Lawrence F. Katz, Melissa S. Kearney
August 2005
Journal of Political Economy
Labor Economics

Women, War and Wages: the Effect of Female Labor Supply on Labor Market Outcomes

Journal of Political Economics, 112, pp. 497-551
Daron Acemoglu, David Autor with David Lyle
June 2004
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Skill Content of Recent Technological Change: An Empirical Exploration

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(4), 1279–1333
David H. Autor, Frank Levy, Richard J. Murnane
November 2003
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Upstairs, Downstairs: Computers and Skills on Two Floors of a Large Bank

Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 55 (3), 432–447
David Autor, Frank Levy, Richard J. Murnane
April 2002
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Wiring the Labor Market

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(1), 25–40
David H. Autor
January 2001
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Computing Inequality: Have Computers Changed the Labor Market?

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 113(4), 1169–1214
David Autor, Lawrence Katz, Alan Krueger
November 1998

American Economic Review
Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Political Economy, Public Economics

Disability Benefits, Consumption Insurance, and Household Labor Supply

American Economic Review, 109(7), 2613–2654
David Autor, Andreas Ravndal Kostøl, Magne Mogstad and Bradley Setzler
July 2019
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Does Delay Cause Decay? The Effect of Administrative Decision Time on the Labor Force Participation and Earnings of Disability Applicants

NBER Working Paper No. 20840
David H. Autor, Nicole Maestas, Kathleen J. Mullen, Alexander Strand
May 2017
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Impact of Disability Benefits on Labor Supply: Evidence from the VA’s Disability Compensation Program

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8(3), 31–68.
David H. Autor, Mark Duggan, Kyle Greenberg, David S. Lyle
July 2016
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Unsustainable Rise of the Disability Rolls in the United States: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Options

Social Policies in an Age of Austerity: A Comparative Analysis of the US and Korea, Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing, John Karl Scholz, Hyunpyo Moon, and Sang-Hyop Lee (eds.), 107–136
David H. Autor
April 2015
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Moral Hazard and Claims Deterrence in Private Disability Insurance

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 6(4): 110–141.
David Autor, Mark Duggan, Jonathan Gruber
October 2014
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Battle Scars? The Puzzling Decline in Employment and Rise in Disability Receipt Among Vietnam Era Veterans

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 101(2), 339–344.
David H. Autor, Mark G. Duggan, David S. Lyle
May 2011
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Supporting Work: A Proposal for Modernizing the U.S. Disability Insurance System

Center for American Progress and the Hamilton Project,
David Autor, Mark Duggan
December 2010
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Distinguishing Income from Substitution Effects in Disability Insurance

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 97(2), 119–124
David Autor, Mark Duggan
May 2007
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Growth in the Social Security Disability Rolls: A Fiscal Crisis Unfolding

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20(3), 71–96
David Autor, Mark Duggan
August 2006
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Rise in the Disability Rolls and the Decline in Unemployment

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(1), 157–205
David Autor,Mark Duggan
February 2003

Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Effect of Work First Job Placements on the Distribution of Earnings: An Instrumental Variables Quantile Regression Approach

Journal of Labor Economics, 35(1), 149-190
David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman, Sari Pekkala Kerr
January 2017
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Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Political Economy, Public Economics

Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes for Low-Skilled Workers? Evidence from 'Work First'

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2(3), 96–128
David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman
July 2010
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Does Job Testing Harm Minority Workers? Evidence from Retail Establishments

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 123(1), 219–277
David H. Autor, David Scarborough
February 2008
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Temporary Agency Employment as a Way out of Poverty?

Working but Poor: How Economic and Policy Changes are Affecting Low-Wage Workers. Rebecca Blank, Sheldon Danziger, and Robert Schoeni (eds.)
David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman
August 2005
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Outsourcing at Will: The Contribution of Unjust Dismissal Doctrine to the Growth of Employment Outsourcing

Journal of Labor Economics, 21(1), 1–42
David H. Autor
January 2003
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Do Temporary Help Jobs Improve Labor Market Outcomes? A Pilot Analysis with Welfare Clients

MIT Working Paper
David H. Autor, Susan N. Houseman
December 2002
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Why Do Temporary Help Firms Provide Free General Skills Training?

The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116 (4), 1409–1448
David H. Autor
November 2001
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Skills Training in the Temporary Help Sector: Employer Motivations and Worker Impacts

Report to the Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration
David Autor, Frank Levy, Richard J. Murnane
September 1999
Labor Economics

The Economics of Labor Market Intermediation: An Analytic Framework

NBER Working Paper 14348
David Autor
September 2008

Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Work of the Past, Work of the Future

Richard T. Ely Lecture, American Economic Association: Papers and Proceeding, 109(5), 1–32
David Autor
May 2019

Gentrification and the Amenity Value of Crime Reductions: Evidence from Rent Deregulation

NBER Working Paper No. 23914
David H. Autor, Christopher J. Palmer and Parag A. Pathak
October 2017
JPE

Housing Market Spillovers: Evidence from the End of Rent Control in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Journal of Political Economy, 122(3), 661–717.
David H. Autor, Christopher J. Palmer and Parag A. Pathak
June 2014

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Labor Economics, Macroeconomics, Political Economy, Public Economics

Does Employment Protection Reduce Productivity? Evidence from US States

Economic Journal, 117, F189–F219
David H. Autor, William R. Kerr, Adriana D. Kugler
June 2007
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Costs of Wrongful-Discharge Laws

The Review of Economics and Statistics, 88(2), 211–231
David Autor, John Donohue III, Stewart Schwab
May 2006
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

The Employment Consequences of Wrongful-Discharge Laws: Large, Small, or None at All?

American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, 93(2), 440–446
David H. Autor, John J. Donohue III, Stewart J. Schwab
May 2004
Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Public Economics, Political Economy

Outsourcing at Will: The Contribution of Unjust Dismissal Doctrine to the Growth of Employment Outsourcing

Journal of Labor Economics, 21(1), 1–42
David H. Autor
January 2003