Data for: Skill complementarity and the dual economy

Abstract of associated article: I propose a new explanation for the large productivity gaps between agriculture and nonagriculture observed in developing countries, namely that the elasticity of substitution between skilled and unskilled workers is higher in agriculture than in nonagriculture. I estimate the elasticities in a cross-country data set, and use the results to simulate a simple two-sector model in which heterogeneous elasticities of substitution affect relative sectoral productivity levels through the allocation of human capital. Calibrated to match data from the United States, the model predicts sizable agricultural productivity gaps in countries where the share of highly educated workers in the labor force is low.

关联论文摘要：我针对发展中国家观测到的农业与非农部门间显著的生产率差距，提出一种全新解释——农业领域内熟练工人与非熟练工人之间的替代弹性（elasticity of substitution）高于非农领域。我利用跨国数据集对该替代弹性进行估算，并基于估算结果对一个简单两部门模型开展仿真模拟：该模型中，异质性替代弹性通过人力资本配置影响各部门的相对生产率水平。经校准以匹配美国的实际经济数据后，该模型可预测，在劳动力市场中高学历劳动者占比偏低的国家，农业部门会出现规模可观的生产率差距。