1958年，雅各布·明瑟(Jacob Mincer)开创了一种理解收益分配的重要方法。在明瑟的开创性工作完成后的几年里，他以及他的学生和同事扩展了原始的人力资本模型，对一系列与人类福祉有关的观察得出了重要结论。这一研究方向解释了为什么教育能提高收入;为什么在一个人的一生中，收入增长的速度是递减的;为什么对于那些预计间歇性劳动参与率的人来说，收入增长更小;为什么男人比女人挣得多;为什么白人比黑人挣得多;为何职业分布存在性别差异;为什么地理和工作流动性在年轻人中占主导地位;为什么熟练工人的失业率更低; and why numerous other labor market phenomena occur. This paper surveys the answers to these and other questions based on research emanating from Mincer’s original discovery. In addition, this paper provides new empirical evidence regarding Mincer’s concept of the “overtaking age” – a topic not currently well explored in the literature. In this latter vein, the paper shows that Mincer’s original finding of a U-shaped (log) variance of earnings over the life cycle is upheld in recent data, both for the U.S. as well as at least seven other countries.