Essays in macroeconomics and labor economics

This dissertation studies questions in the fields of macroeconomics and labor economics. It consists of three self-contained chapters that use different methods and data to study distinct questions related to the causes and consequences of socioeconomic inequalities, as well as the policies used to mitigate them. The first chapter uses a rich search-and-matching model of the labor market as a laboratory to analyze counterfactual minimum wage levels. The second chapter investigates whether rising income inequality and "keeping up with the richer Joneses" fueled the US mortgage boom. The third chapter investigates the contribution of managers to gender wage gaps and analyzes whether the over-representation of men in management positions puts women at a disadvantage