International Trade, Multinational Corporations, and American Wages: Dissertation Summary

Authors

Matthew J. Slaughter, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Award Type

Honorable Mention

Dissertation Advisor

Paul Krugman

Abstract

Several economists, politicians, and pundits have recently argued that in the 1980s the American economy became more tightly integrated into the world economy. In particular, they often argue that American labor-market trends have been increasingly driven by this "internationalization" of the economy. Inspired by these arguments, this thesis investigates whether international trade and multinational corporations influenced trends in the American labor market during two periods: the 1980s and the antebellum years.

Link to dissertation full text