Task Specialization in U.S. Cities from 1880-2000

52 Pages Posted: 1 Feb 2013

See all articles by Guy Michaels

Guy Michaels

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP); London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE)

Ferdinand Rauch

University of Vienna - Department of Economics

Stephen J. Redding

Princeton University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: January 2013

Abstract

We develop a new methodology for quantifying the tasks undertaken within occupations using 3,000 verbs from around 12,000 occupational descriptions in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOTs). Using micro-data from the United States from 1880-2000, we find an increase in the employment share of interactive occupations within sectors over time that is larger in metro areas than non-metro areas. We provide evidence that this increase in the interactiveness of employment is related to the dissemination of improvements in transport and communication technologies. Our findings highlight a change in the nature of agglomeration over time towards an increased emphasis on human interaction.

Keywords: economic development, human interaction, urbanization

JEL Classification: N92, O18, R12

Suggested Citation

Michaels, Guy and Michaels, Guy and Rauch, Ferdinand and Redding, Stephen J., Task Specialization in U.S. Cities from 1880-2000 (January 2013). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP9308, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2210279

Guy Michaels (Contact Author)

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) ( email )

Houghton Street
London, WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

Ferdinand Rauch

University of Vienna - Department of Economics ( email )

Vienna, A-1210
Austria

Stephen J. Redding

Princeton University ( email )

Princeton, NJ 08544-1021
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.princeton.edu/~reddings/

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