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on Education |
| By: | Jane Greve; Mette T. Jensen; Esben Agerbo; John Cawley |
| Abstract: | This paper contributes to the literature on the impact of early-life health on education by estimating the effect of genetic predisposition to a higher body mass index (BMI) on educational attainment and related outcomes. The identification strategy exploits the randomness in which genes one inherits from one's parents by estimating sibling fixed effects models of the polygenic score for a higher BMI. These models are estimated using rich administrative data from Denmark for over 14, 000 full siblings. We find that a one-standard-deviation increase in the genetic predisposition to a higher BMI is associated with a 1.4 percentage point (4.4%) lower probability of earning a high school diploma, a 1.7 percentage point (12.3%) lower probability of a college degree, and a 1.7 percentage point (3.7%) higher probability of vocational training. An investigation into mechanisms suggests that youth with a greater genetic predisposition to a higher BMI are more likely to report being bullied, have greater school absences, and lower test scores. |
| JEL: | I1 I14 I2 I23 I24 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34322 |
| By: | Allen IV, James |
| Abstract: | Overlap between school and farming calendars—pervasive in agrarian settings—constrains children’s time for both activities, potentially forcing trade-offs between schooling and child labor. Using shift-share estimation, I study an exogenous shift to overlap between school and crop calendars in Malawi, weighted and aggregated by communities’ pre-policy crop shares, matched to panel data on school-aged children. From pre- to post-policy, a five-day (i.e., one school-week) increase in overlap during peak farming periods decreases children’s school advancement by 0.14 grades—one lost grade for every seven children—while only resulting in 3.9 percent fewer children working on the household-farm. Policy simulations show how adapting the school calendar to minimize overlap with peak farming periods can be an effective strategy to increase school participation. |
| Keywords: | education; child labour; households; crop production; Malawi; Africa; Eastern Africa |
| Date: | 2024–01–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:ifprid:138825 |
| By: | Klaus Desmet; Dávid Krisztián Nagy; Esteban Rossi-Hansberg |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how human capital shapes the economic geography of development. We develop a model in which the cost of acquiring human capital varies across space, and regions with higher human capital innovate more. Locations are spatially connected through migration and trade. There are localized agglomeration economies, and human-capital-augmenting technology diffuses across space. Using high-resolution data on income and schooling, we quantify and simulate the model at the 1° x 1° resolution for the entire globe. Over the span of two centuries, the model predicts strong persistence in the spatial distribution of development — unlike spatial dynamic models without human capital, which predict convergence. Proportionally lowering the cost of education in sub-Saharan Africa or Central and South Asia raises local outcomes but reduces global welfare, whereas the same policy in Latin America improves global outcomes. An alternative policy equalizing educational costs across sub-Saharan Africa generates relatively worse outcomes, as population reallocates within the region toward less productive areas. Central to these results is the estimated negative correlation between the education costs and local fundamentals, as well as inefficiencies in the spatial allocation due to externalities. |
| JEL: | E24 F10 I24 J24 O11 O18 O33 R12 R23 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34310 |
| By: | Dragan Filimonovic; Christian Rutzer; Conny Wunsch |
| Abstract: | This paper estimates the effect of Generative AI (GenAI) adoption on scientific productivity and quality in the social and behavioral sciences. Using matched author-level panel data and a difference-in-differences design, we find that GenAI adoption is associated with sizable increases in research productivity, measured by the number of published papers. It also leads to moderate gains in publication quality, based on journal impact factors. These effects are most pronounced among early-career researchers, authors working in technically complex subfields, and those from non-English-speaking countries. The results suggest that GenAI tools may help lower some structural barriers in academic publishing and promote more inclusive participation in research. |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2510.02408 |
| By: | Jaime Arellano-Bover; Carolina Bussotti; John M. Nunley; R. Alan Seals |
| Abstract: | We analyze the initial job-market matching of new US college graduates with a large-scale audit study conducted during 2016 and 2017, in which 36, 880 résumés of college seniors were submitted to online job postings for business-related positions. We simulate the experience of US college students by incorporating variation in curricular and extracurricular activities. Our analysis reveals significant variation in callback rate returns to majors, with Biology and Economics majors receiving the highest rate, particularly in occupations involving high intensity of analytical and interpersonal skills. However, minors in History and Mathematics have precisely estimated zero effects on callback rates. Internship experiences that are social skills-oriented positively influence callbacks, yet this is not the case for analytical internships. Study abroad experiences enhance callback rates, predominantly in high interpersonal skill-intensive occupations. Listing both programming and data analysis skills significantly boosts callback rates. Our study provides a comprehensive characterization of which features of the college experience are more and less valuable during the high-stakes, first-job matching process. |
| Keywords: | college, returns to majors, returns to minors, returns to extracurriculars, audit study, first job |
| JEL: | J23 J24 I26 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12188 |
| By: | Banze, Amanda Alexandra (Monash University) |
| Abstract: | Skill mismatches between university education and labour market demand impose substantial costs on individuals and the wider economy, yet systematic evidence for Australia is scarce. Using nationally representative data from the HILDA Survey, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching, this study examines the impact of vertical mismatches, where workers are overeducated for their roles, and horizontal mismatches, where their field of study does not align with their occupation. Regression models, informed by the labor economic literature, indicate that mismatched workers earn between 10 and 21 percent less than well-matched peers, report lower job satisfaction, and are concentrated in sectors with weaker productivity performance. These findings are consistent with international evidence and highlight mismatches as a structural inefficiency in the labour market. Building on these estimates, policy simulations suggest that curriculum alignment, stronger industry-academic collaboration, and reskilling programs could reduce mismatch rates by 3 to 4 percentage points, translating into measurable gains in wages and productivity, especially in fast-evolving industries. By combining empirical estimates with forward-looking simulations, the study provides new evidence on the economic implications of skill mismatch in Australia and offers a framework for evaluating the potential impact of education and labour market policy interventions. |
| Keywords: | Skill mismatch ; field-of-study mismatch ; overeducation ; human capital ; labor ; market efficiency JEL classifications: I23 ; I26 ; J24 ; J31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:wrk:wrkesp:87 |