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Matthias Kehrig

Associate Professor of Economics
Economics
237 Social Sciences, Box 90097, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Matthias Kehrig works on topics at the intersection of macroeconomics, productivity, firm dynamics and labor economics. His particular research interest lies on how firm-level differences shape aggregate outcomes and how aggregate fluctuations in turn influence firm-level dynamics. 

His most recent research project studies the micro-level anatomy of the aggregate labor share decline. Using micro-level business data from the U.S. Census Bureau, he finds that a set of few establishments become more and more profitable without expanding employment or sharing these productivity gains with workers as higher wages. Leading frontier firms derive their profitability from extracting higher prices from customers rather than cost cutting. 

Matthias Kehrig is currently an Associate Professor at Duke University, a Faculty Research Fellow at the NBER and a Research Affiliate at the CEPR. He earned a PhD and MA in Economics from Northwestern University after graduating with a dual MA in Economics and CEMS Master in International Management from the University of Cologne and the Stockholm School of Economics.

You can find my professional profiles here: Personal websiteGoogle ScholarSSRNIDEAS/RePEc .

Let's talk on Twitter: @MacroMatthias.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Economics · 2021 - Present Economics, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

In the News


Published September 21, 2021
Meet the Newly Tenured Faculty of 2021

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Recent Publications


The micro-level anatomy of the labor share decline

Scholarly Edition · May 1, 2021 The labor share in U.S. manufacturing declined from 61% in 1967 to 41% in 2012. The labor share of the typical U.S. manufacturing establishment, in contrast, rose by over 3 percentage points during the same period. Using micro-level data, we document five ... Full text Cite

Good Dispersion, Bad Dispersion

Journal Article · June 2019 Open Access Cite

Good Dispersion, Bad Dispersion

Journal Article · June 2019 Cite
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Recent Grants


Laboring for Less? Understanding the Micro-Level Anatomy of the Aggregate Labor Share Decline

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2018 - 2022

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Education, Training & Certifications


Northwestern University · 2011 Ph.D.

External Links


Personal Website