US Pay Inequality is Growing Between Firms - Prof. Fatih Guvenen in WSJ

U.S. earnings inequality has increased greatly in the last three decades, but the trend is due primarily to rising differences in pay between firms, not growing gaps within them, according to a new working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

"Super Firms" Are Boosting Pay Inequality - Prof. Fatih Guvenen in Bloomberg Business

Your economic destiny is more closely linked to your company's than you might think. The wage divide has widened between workers at high-paying firms and those at low-paying companies over the past three decades, a trend consistent across U.S. regions and industries, new research shows.  

What's Driving Income Inequality? - Prof. Fatih Guvenen in Bloomberg View

The most important recent research on income inequality is not, as news reports might suggest, Thomas Piketty's famous book. It is new research out this week from a team of economists explaining the role that companies play in wage differences.

The Case for Universal Pre-K Remains Thin - Board member Art Rolnick in the Pioneer Press

Gov. Mark Dayton may be willing to force a special session over universal Pre-K for 4-year-olds, cited in his veto letter as his No. 1 legislative priority, but the governor has failed to make a persuasive case for it.

Universal Pre-K Proposal in Minnesota - Board member Art Rolnick on MPR

Democrats and Republicans mostly agree on the benefits of early education. But opponents have lined up against the universal pre-K proposal. Those opponents even include some longtime advocates of early education in the state. Art Rolnick, a senior fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, is one of those advocates. He joined MPR's Cathy Wurzer to talk about the issue.

Prof. Tim Kehoe receives prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship

Since 1925 the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has annually offered Fellowships to artists, scholars, and scientists in all fields. This year, after considering the recommendations of panels and juries consisting of hundreds of distinguished artists, scholars, and scientists, the Board of Trustees has granted 175 Fellowships. Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of impressive achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment.

Fast-Track Trade Measure - Prof. Tim Kehoe comments in the Star Tribune

“It is impossible to negotiate a serious trade agreement without it,” said University of Minnesota trade expert Tim Kehoe, who advised the Mexican secretary of trade during NAFTA. “When you negotiate, you give up things to get things.” Letting House and Senate members renegotiate those promises as part of the approval process, said Kehoe, inevitably leads to district-by-district and state-by-state nitpicking that dooms any deal.

Your lifetime earnings are probably determined in your 20s - Prof. Guvenen comments in the Washington Post

"Across the board, the bulk of earnings growth happens during the first decade," wrote economists Fatih Guvenen, Fatih Karahan, Serdar Ozkan and Jae Song, who studied the career paths of about 5 million workers over nearly 40 years.