Date of Award

Spring 2025

Document Type

Thesis (Undergraduate)

Department

Economics

First Advisor

Treb Allen

Abstract

This paper examines the role of demography and human capital transmission in shaping structural change during American industrialization (1860–1920). Using linked Census data, I document three stylized facts: (i) young individuals drive the transition to manufacturing; (ii) young migrants prioritize future earnings potential over current wages, whereas older workers prioritize current wages; and (iii) intergenerational income persistence is conditional on remaining in the parental sector. To reflect these findings, I incorporate overlapping generations with age-based preferences and intergenerational human capital transmission into a dynamic general equilibrium economic geography model. After calibrating the model, I conduct counterfactual experiments to quantitatively assess the importance of human capital diffusion and railroads during American industrialization. My preliminary findings indicate that railroads drove the pace of industrialization, whereas intergenerational human capital transmission shaped its geography and reduced spatial inequality.

Download

Included in

Economics Commons

Share

COinS