Inventory of the H. Gregg Lewis Papers, 1939-1990
[top]Descriptive Summary
TitleH. Gregg Lewis Papers,
1939-1990
Creator
Lewis, H. Gregg
Extent
28.5 Linear Feet
17,100 Items
Repository
17,100 Items
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special
Collections Library, Duke
University
Language
English
[top]
Administrative Information
Access RestrictionsCollection is open for research.
However, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have
not been transferred to Duke University. For more
information, consult the copyright section of the
Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript,
and Special Collections Library.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], H. Gregg Lewis Papers,
Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library,
Duke University.
Provenance
The papers of H. Gregg Lewis were received by
the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library
at Duke University in 1989. More papers were added
following his death in 1992.
Processing Information
Professor Lewis threw out many of his papers
upon moving from the University of Chicago to Duke
University in 1976. He only kept half a file-drawer filled
with longer letters. At Duke, without a personal secretary
to file for him, he discarded most items as he finished
with them. (From notes of Bob Byrd, Director of Special
Collections Libary, H. Gregg Lewis Collection Control
File).
Processed by Joanna Vinluan
Completed November 30, 1998
Encoded by Don Sechler
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical Note
| 1914, May 9 | Born Harold Gregg Lewis, in Homer, Mich. |
| 1936 | B.A. (Economics), University of Chicago. |
| 1939-75 | Member of the faculty, University of Chicago Department of Economics. At various times was also: a Research Associate at Cowles Commission, Director of Graduate Studies, and Director of Chicago-Latin American Program (Chile and Argentina projects) |
| 1941, Autumn | Economist for the President's Emergency Railroad Board. |
| 1943-45 | 6th Regional War Labor Board (Chicago office): War Labor Board's liaison with Armed Forces, 1943-June 1944; Assistant Wage Stabilization Director, June 1944-April 1945 |
| 1945, Apr.-Sept. | Army Air Force |
| 1947 | Ph.D. (Economics), University of Chicago. Dissertation: "Studies in the Elasticity of Demand for Steel." |
| 1959-60 | Ford Foundation Faculty Research Fellow. |
| 1963 | Publication of Unionism and Relative Wages in the United States (University of Chicago Press). |
| 1967-68 | Visiting Professor in Economics, Catholic University of Chile (in Santiago). |
| 1971 | Visiting Professor, University of Minnesota and Macalester University (St. Paul). |
| 1972 | Awarded the Quantrell Prize for excellence in undergraduate teaching, University of Chicago. |
| 1974-75 | Visiting Research Scholar, Princeton University. |
| 1976-84 | Professor, Duke University. |
| 1976, Aug. | Special Issue of the Journal of Political Economy: "Essays in Labor Economics: in Honor of H. Gregg Lewis," ed. Gary S. Becker. |
| 1981 | Honored as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economics Association. |
| 1983 | Lead article, inaugural issue of the Journal of Labor Economics. |
| 1983 | Awarded the Duke University Scholar-Teacher Award, sponsored by the United Methodist Church. |
| 1984 | Retired from Duke University. |
| 1986 | Made a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. |
| 1986 | Publication of Union Relative Wage Effects: A Survey (University of Chicago Press). |
| 1992, Jan. 25 | Died at his home in Chapel Hill, NC. |
Collection Overview
The papers of H. Gregg Lewis, an economist and
university professor, span the period 1939 to 1990 with the
bulk of the collection dating from the early 1980s. The
collection is comprised chiefly of research and background
materials for his book
Union Relative Wage Effects: A
Survey (University of Chicago Press, 1986), and of
a collection of various academic articles (mostly working
papers on various topics in labor economics). Materials
represented in this particular collection include book
manuscripts; drafts of papers (including unpublished
articles); correspondence; lecture notes and syllabi for
several classes taught at Chicago and for others at Duke;
referee reports; administrative paperwork associated with
the University of Chicago; and papers written by other
economists. The primary subjects covered in this collection
are: labor economics, trade unions and relative wage
effects, University of Chicago Department of Economics, and
Duke University Department of Economics. Important and/or
substantial correspondence includes those with Gary Becker,
Walter Oi, Albert Reese, Sherwin Rosen, and Finis
Welch.
H. Gregg Lewis, one of the founders of modern
labor economics, brought an unbiased, empirical approach to
a field then dominated by the institutionalist school.
According to Sherwin Rosen,
Professor Lewis was a pioneer in promoting
empirical research with strong microeconomic foundations
and in expanding the range of substantive problems that
were amenable to economic analysis. This may be his most
important legacy to economics. (Rosen, 1994).
A meticulous researcher, Lewis trained his
methodical, detail-oriented eye on topics that included the
allocation of time between market and non-market
activities, the allocation of labor among alternative uses,
and the compensation of labor. It is the topic of the
influence of trade unions on wage differentials, however,
to which Lewis contributed the bulk of his published work.
His first book, titled
Unionism and Relative Wages in
the United States: an Empirical Enquiry was
published in 1963, and his second book,
Union Relative Wage Effects: A
Survey was published in 1986.
Lewis was linked to the University of Chicago
Department of Economics for over forty years, first as an
undergraduate and then as a graduate student, but for most
of this time as a faculty member. As such, his career was
inextricably linked to the events and personages of
Chicago. He studied under Lloyd Mints, Henry Schultz, and
Henry Simons and later was a colleague of Paul Douglas, Ted
Schultz, Gale Johnson, Albert Reese, Al Harberger, Milton
Friedman, Harry Johnson, Robert Fogel, and James Heckman,
to name a few of the eminent economists at the University
of Chicago during his tenure there.
The papers are organized in series as follows:
Research Notes, Drafts and Proofs Series; Articles,
Comments and Notes Series; Correspondence Series; Teaching
Materials Series; and Colleagues' Articles: Indexed
Series.
The Research Notes, Drafts and Proofs Series dates
from around the early 1980s and contains all material found
in the collection which relate to Professor Lewis' book
Union Relative Wage Effects: A
Survey (University of Chicago Press, 1986). His two
books are more than just summaries of the existing
literature; they also involved extensive work of his own.
For example, he recalculated a substantial amount of the
data presented in the studies in order to replace or
correct what he perceived as errors. As such, this series
contains much more than the expected background notes,
manuscripts, and proofs. It is comprised of approximately
300 manila folders, each meticulously grouped together by
Lewis and sequentially numbered within the groupings. A
single manila folder might contain an article/study; notes
on that article (e.g. on data sources and coverage, sample
restrictions, controls, and definitions of variables);
correspondence with the authors of the studies asking for
clarification on statistics, variables, and equations;
notes showing the numbers which Lewis obtained in reworking
the authors' calculations; and manuscript drafts of each
chapter. His 1986 book is essentially a synthesis of a
number of studies on the relative wage effects of unions,
and an update of his earlier
Unionism and Relative Wages in
the United States: an Empirical Enquiry (University
of Chicago Press, 1963). In his second book, Lewis looked
specifically at different studies written post-1963 that
analyzed the union versus non-union relative wage
differential. These studies largely use micro data on
individual workers for structural modeling. Unlike his 1963
book, most of the studies analyzed in
Union Relative Wage
Effects are not University of Chicago economics
theses.
The Articles, Comments, and Notes Series contains
articles written by Professor Lewis -- many of which were
never published. These include: "How Americans Use their
Time" (1975), "Notes on Partial Equilibrium Analysis"
(1975), "Notes on Corner Problems in Production and Utility
Theory" (no date), "Unionism, Wages and Employment in U.S.
Coal Mining, 1945-68" (1971), "Notes on the Shadow Price of
Household Time" (no date), "The Impact of Unionism on
Relative Wages in the U.S." (1963), "Employer Interests in
Employee Hours of Work" (late 1960s), "Notes on the
Economics of Hours of Work" (1967), and various article
reprints and comments that were published during the
1930s-1950s. This series also contains drafts of comments
on colleagues' papers that were published. In addition,
there are background notes on various topics, e.g. notes on
a paper that he and Gary Becker worked on jointly regarding
the interaction between the quantity and quality of
children. This series also contains a copy of Professor
Lewis' Ph.D. thesis, "Studies in the Elasticity of the
Demand for Steel" (University of Chicago, March 1947).
The Correspondence Series is quite a substantive
collection of letters Professor Lewis wrote to fellow
economists or received from them over the period 1958 -
1986. It also includes a file containing referee reports
(mostly done for the
Journal of Political
Economy). Note that the "University of Chicago"
file excludes those pieces of correspondence with Albert
Reese (who served as the Chairman of the Department of
Economics during the 1960s). Instead, those letters are
found in the file "Correspondence with Al Reese." The file
titled "University of Chicago Department of Economics"
contains correspondence that mostly relates to
administrative duties that Lewis had as Director of
Graduate Studies. Note that the "Milton Friedman" file is
sparse, containing only three letters written between
Friedman and Lewis. The "AEA Distinguished Fellow, 1981"
file contains letters of congratulations from friends and
colleagues upon his receipt of this prestigious award.
The Teaching Materials Series covers the period
1967-1986. In chronological order, it contains the lecture
notes for classes taught both at the University of Chicago
and at Duke. In addition, there are five files (ca. 1979)
on University of Chicago dissertations which he supervised
even after moving to Duke. In the words of Sherwin Rosen,
one of his former students, Professor Lewis wielded his
influence largely in the one-on-one teaching he did,
serving on the committees of over 90 graduate students at
Chicago, and supervising six Ph.D. dissertations at Duke.
According to Rosen, his real forte was in this capacity as
thesis advisor engaged in...
...one-on-one teaching in his office, discussing
thesis problems and progress and training young economists
how to do research. He had no peer in those endeavors. He
was extraordinarily unselfish and generous to students in
giving away his ideas, time, and criticism." (Rosen,
1994).
His teaching efforts in the classroom, moreover,
did not go unnoticed; at the University of Chicago he was
awarded the Quantrell Prize for excellence in undergraduate
teaching, and at Duke he was given the United Methodist's
Teacher-Scholar award, both in recognition of his
outstanding teaching.
Finally, the Colleagues' Articles: Indexed Series
contains working papers and any hand-written notes (e.g.
Lewis' calculations) on these papers. There are also pieces
of correspondence related to the papers interspersed
throughout this series.
References:
Rosen, Sherwin. H. Gregg Lewis Memorial Comments, 1994. Pamphlet reprinted by the Journal of Labor Economics, ed. Orley Ashenfelter.,
Subject Headings
These are searchable subject entries for this collection. Performing a search on these subjects in the Duke University Libraries online catalog will bring up other related research materials.
- Labor-unions--United States--History.
- Wages--United States--History.
- Race discrimination--Economic aspects.
- African Americans--Economic conditions.
- Economists--United States--Correspondence.
- Working class--United States.
- Lewis, H. Gregg, Union relative wage effects: a survey.
- University of Chicago. Dept. of Economics.
- Duke University. Dept. of Economics.
- Lewis, H. Gregg.
 | List of Series in Collection | |||||||
 |  | Research Notes, Drafts and Proofs Series | ||||||
| | Articles, Comments and Notes Series | ||||||
| | Correspondence Series | ||||||
| | Teaching Materials Series | ||||||
 | | Colleagues' Articles Series: Indexed | ||||||
Detailed Description of Collection
Research Notes, Drafts and Proofs Series
This series,
1978-86,
is comprised of Professor Lewis' files for
Union Relative Wage
Effects: A Survey (University of Chicago Press,
1986).
Boxes 1-6 contain approximately 300 manila folders' worth
of research notes, arranged by Prof. Lewis according to
subject matter. Boxes 7-8 hold chapter drafts, a file on
reviews of his book, as well as data analyses (statistical
tables and computer printouts).
Box 1
Survey
(5
folders)
Estab
(57
folders)
Mobility
(8
folders)
Dispers
(8
folders)
Estim
(10
folders)
Box 2
Estim
(4
folders)
Reference, 1-52
(52
folders)
Box 3
Reference, 53-92
(41
folders)
Box 4
Reference, 93-131
(38
folders)
Box 5
Reference, 133-147
(16
folders)
Prob
(7
folders)
Prod
(12
folders)
Rigid
(4
folders)
Spill
(4
folders)
Theory
(15
folders)
Time Series (Macro)
Jobstat
(3
folders)
Market
(2
folders)
Box 6
Misc.
(9
folders)
Fringes
(17
folders)
Macro
(41
folders)
Box 7
Reviews: H. G. Lewis's
book
Drafts: Chap. 1-7,
1982, Feb.-1984, June
(8
folders)
Box 8
Various computer printouts and data
tables (in longhand)
Articles, Comments and Notes Series
This series,
1939-90, contains various articles (published and unpublished), comments on colleagues' work, and unpublished notes (some of which were circulated widely among fellow economists). Arranged chronologically.
Box 9
Various pamphlets,
1939-1947
"Unionism, Wages and Employment in
U.S. Coal Mining,
1945-1969" (1971)
Studies in the Elasticity of the
Demand for Steel,
1947
"Some Observations on Duopoly
Theory" (reprinted from
AER
Proceedings),
1948, May
Three pamphlets,
1951-1963
Book Reviews,
1941-1958
Labor Unions and Labor Monopoly in
the U.S.,
1959
"Notes on the Shadow Price of
Household Time,"
1960-1974
The Impact of Unionism on Relative
Wages in the U.S.,
1963
"Employer Interest in Employee
Houses of Work," late
1960s
"Notes on the Economics of Hours of
Work,"
1967
Assorted notes,
1967-1972
Three papers on Labor Force
Participation,
1968,
1972
Notes on Corner Problems in
Production and Utility Theory,
undated
Comment to Ben-Porath Paper,
JPE,1973, Mar./Apr.
Becker and
Lewis "On the
Interaction Between Quantity and Quality of Children,"
1973-1975
Comments on Selectivity Biases in
Wage Comparisons,
1974
The Economics of Labor,
1974, Nov.
Black Lung Commerce,
1974
"Notes on Partial Equilibrium
Analysis, "
1975
(4
folders)
"Economics of Time and Labor
Supply,"
1975
"How Americans Use Their Time,"
1975-1976
"Selected References":
IRS: Princeton, 1976-1979
"Competitive and Monopoly Unionism,"
undated
Notes and letters regarding a paper
by Becker,
1977
Comments on wages and unionism in
N.C., 1977, Oct. 14
Rand Research Review,
1977
NLS
Newsletter,
1977
The Center
Newsletter,
1977
AEI:
Bulletins, etc.
1977-1978
"Unionism and Relative Wages
Revisited after 15 Years,"
1978
Notes on
Becker: Effort Theory,
1978
Retirement Conference:
Duke, 1978, Oct.
Two pamphlets,
1983
Union/Non-Union Wage
Gaps in the Public Sector,
1990,
JLE
Correspondence Series
This series,
1958-86, is comprised of two parts: files of general correspondence, arranged in chronological order, followed by specific files for people/events garnering or sending more substantive correspondence. Arranged alphabetically.
Box 10
1958-1986
(6
folders)
AEA Distinguished
Fellows letters,
1981
American Enterprise Association,
1958-1962
Becker, Gary,
1957-1979
Bunting, Robert L.
1964-1970
Finegan, T. Aldrich
(regarding),
1959-1971
Fisher, Stanley,
1971-1972
Fleisher, Belton
(regarding),
1962-1972
Friedman, Milton
(regarding),
1960-1973
Griliches, Zvi,
1960-1975
Haberler, Gottfried,
1962
Heckman, James,
1968-1976
Jones, Ethel,
1969-1973
Kessel, Reuben A.,
1966-1971
Lectures, seminars, conferences,
etc,
1962-1975
Mincer, Jacob
(regarding),
1961-1962
MacFarlan, Maitland,
1977,
1979
Move from
University of Chicago to
Duke University,1975
Oi, Walter,
1969-1972
Rapping, Leonard,
1965-1970
Reese, Albert,
1959-1977
Referee Reports,
1956-1977
Rosen, Sherwin,
1967-1977
Simler, Norman J.,
1961-1973
Unionism and Relative
Wages in the United States (published
1963),
1961-1966
University of Chicago Department of
Economics: Memoranda, Administrative Papers, etc,
1956-1975
Welch, Finis,
1967-1976
Teaching Materials Series
This series,1967-83, includes lecture notes,
syllabi, handout materials, problem sets, and exams for
various labor economics classes which he taught (some at
Chicago, others at Duke). Also contains sample labor prelim
exams from both schools. There are files on
dissertations-in-progress for five
University of Chicago
Ph.D. Economics students (ca. 1975-1979) whose
work he continued to supervise after moving to Duke in
1976.
Box 11
Econ 343, summer
1967
Econ 240, Spring
1974
Econ 341
(3
folders)
1974-1975
Dissertation:
James Hasek,1975
Dissertation in
progress:
Fechter, Alan,
1976-1977
Horowitz, Stanley,
1975-1976
Stockel, A., Thesis,
1977
Dissertation: Correspondence
regarding
Thomas Campbell,1979
Exams and grade lists: Duke,
1975-1976
Eco 52.9, Spring
1976
Labor Economics: Prelim Exams,
1970-1983
(3
folders)
Econ:
355,
1976-1982
358,
1979-1981
(3
folders)
Eco:
149: Lecture notes, Spring
1984
155: Labor Econ for
undergraduates,
1984-1986
Colleagues' Articles Series: Indexed
This series,
ca. 1970-mid 1980s,is comprised of eight boxes of academic
articles, the bulk of which are working papers written on
various topics in labor economics. The articles are grouped
together under letters of the alphabet, arranged
methodically according to an organizational schema whose
"key" is unknown: only Professor Lewis knew exactly what
rubrics he had in mind in filing certain papers together.
Nonetheless, an attempt has been made to hypothesize the
general theme/subject matter of each grouping :
Box 12
Papers under "A": unions' impact on
wages, collective bargaining.
Papers under "B": theory of unions
and union growth.
Papers under "C": union behavior and
power; corruption; cartel model of unions.
Papers under "D": unionization's
effects on wages and employment: disequilibrium
and market distortions.
Papers under "E": economics of the
family; quantity/quality of children; fertility and child
quality.
Box 13
Papers under "F": health and
schooling/education.
Box 14
Papers under "G": economic
development and growth; human capital investment; income
distribution and earnings; econometric studies of wage
determination.
Papers under "H": labor market
turnover; schooling interruptions; layoffs.
Box 15
Papers under "I": schooling: family
model of schooling, female schooling, male youth schooling,
preschool children, households' time allocation
Papers under "J": marriage: marital
instability, determinants of, etc.
Papers under "K": production
functions: functional forms, factors of
production,elasticities of substitution.
Papers under "L": elasticity of
demand for labor.
Papers under "M": labor supply and
allocation of effort.
Box 16
Papers under "M", cont.
Papers under "N": labor force
participation rates and labor supply: women in labor force,
retirement age, etc.
Papers under "O": estimating labor
supply response: sensitivity analysis.
Papers under "Q": racial
discrimination.
Papers under "R": government
subsidies; parole success; income and
education.
Box 17
Papers under "S": wage rates: links
with city sizes, older workers, immigration,
etc.
Papers under "T": tax policies,
unemployment insurance and employment.
Papers under "U": models with income
taxes: estimations and case studies.
Box 18
Papers under "V": migration and job
mobility.
Papers under "W": assessing the
impact of income maintenance programs on
migration.
Papers under "X": unemployment
legislation: min. wage laws, unemployment insurance
programs and their impact, welfare benefits, fair
employment laws.
Papers under "Y": the economics of
information: search and signaling; pricing
info.
Papers under "Z": job satisfaction;
wage differentials and public policy; quality of life
indices.
Box 19
Papers under "AA": separation and
divorce; family and intergenerational mobility,
single-person households.
Papers under "AB": screening: theory
of labor market discrimination, estimation of employee
performance, testing educational screening
hypothesis.
