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on Education |
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Issue of 2026–02–09
fourteen papers chosen by João Carlos Correia Leitão, Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Mühlrad, Hanna (Karolinska Institute); Sibbmark, Kristina (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy); Sjögren, Anna (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy); Tallås Ahlzén, Malin (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy) |
| Abstract: | We evaluate a two year school development program aimed at enhancing the quality of education for recent migrant students and Swedish language learners through customized packages of professional development for teachers and support of school man-agement. We exploit the pairwise randomized roll out to 63 municipalities between 2016 and 2019 to examine effects on student achievement and explore underlying mechanisms. Over a 7 year follow-up period, core subject test scores improved by 0.021 sd, driven by a 0.032 sd improvement in mathematics performance. Test score gains in mathematics were present for students, regardless their background, during and post-implementation. Swedish test score gains generally materialized post-implementation, while second gen-eration immigrant students gained already during implementation. Test score gains are more pronounced for foreign background students, for boys and at the low end of the test score distribution. The support program passes a cost-benefit test. |
| Keywords: | refugee migration; dialogue based school improvement; host country effects; RCT |
| JEL: | F22 H52 I21 I22 I24 I28 J45 |
| Date: | 2026–01–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2026_001 |
| By: | Berlinski, Samuel; Cruces, Guillermo; Galiani, Sebastián; Gertler, Paul; Gonzalez, Fabian Enrique |
| Abstract: | We study the long-run effects of a large public expansion of pre-primary education in Argentina. Between 1993 and 1999, the federal government financed the construction of new preschool classrooms targeted to departments with low baseline enrollment and high poverty, creating roughly 186, 000 additional places. We link administrative records on classroom construction to four population censuses and estimate difference-in-differences models that compare treated and untreated cohorts across high- and low-construction departments. An additional preschool seat per child increases post-kindergarten schooling by about 0.5 years, raising the probability of completing secondary school by 11.9 percentage points and of enrolling in post-secondary education by 7.1 percentage points. For women, access to the program also reduces completed fertility: an additional seat lowers the number of live births per woman by 0.18. We find no evidence that selective migration biases these estimates. Our results show little impact on labor-market outcomes at the census date, consistent with beneficiaries still being in school or in the early stages of their careers. A benefit-cost analysis based on the estimated schooling gains, standard Mincer returns, and observed construction and operating costs yields a benefit-cost ratio of about 11 and an internal rate of return of 13%. Our findings show that universal at-scale pre-primary expansions in middle-income countries can generate sizable improvements in human capital and demographic outcomes at relatively low fiscal cost. |
| JEL: | J13 J16 J38 O15 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:idb:brikps:14483 |
| By: | Christopher Campos; Pablo Muñoz; Alonso Bucarey; Dante Contreras |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how college major choices shape earnings and fertility outcomes. Using administrative data that link students' preferences, random assignment to majors, and post-college outcomes, we estimate the causal pecuniary and non-pecuniary returns to different fields of study. We document substantial heterogeneity in these returns across majors and show that such variation helps explain gender gaps in labor market outcomes: women place greater weight on balancing career and family in their major choices, and these preference differences account for about 30% of the gender earnings gap among college graduates. Last, we use our causal estimates to evaluate the effects of counterfactual assignment rules that target representation gaps in settings with centralized assignment systems. We find that gender quotas in high-return fields can significantly reduce representation and earnings gaps with minimal impacts on efficiency and aggregate fertility. |
| JEL: | I20 I24 I26 J01 J16 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34736 |
| By: | Anthony Le (University of Chicago - Booth School of Business); Parth Shah (London School of Economics and Political Science) |
| Abstract: | We study the e!ect of licensing-induced, occupation-specific education requirements on workers’ occupational mobility and earnings. We study this question in the context of Certified Public Accountants’ (CPAs) licensing rules, exploiting the staggered introduction of a change in the number and composition of CPAs’ educational requirements across states. We find that an increase in mandatory accounting-specific credit hours leads to more time spent in accounting jobs, less cross-occupation job switching, and a reduction in the licensing earnings premium. Supplemental analyses indicate that the e!ects represent a specialization of worker skills rather than a general decline in CPAs’ accounting performance. The collective findings suggest that by imposing occupationspecific course requirements, licensing regimes can create less portable human capital, reducing both occupational mobility and the licensing earnings premium. |
| Keywords: | Occupational Licensing; Occupational Mobility; Coursework Requirements; CPAs; Human Capital; 150-Hour Rule |
| JEL: | D45 I21 J24 J44 J62 M41 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bfi:wpaper:2026-16 |
| By: | Leibing, Andreas |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how labor market conditions around high school graduation affect postsecondary skill investments. Using administrative data on more than six million German graduates from 1995-2018, and exploiting deviations from secular state-specific trends, I document procyclical college enrollment. Cyclical increases in unemployment reduce enrollment at traditional universities and shift graduates toward vocational colleges and apprenticeships. These effects translate into educational attainment. Using large-scale survey data, I identify changes in expected returns to different degrees as the main mechanism. During recessions, graduates expect lower returns to an academic degree, while expected returns to a vocational degree are stable. |
| Keywords: | college enrollment, expectations, business cycles, apprenticeships |
| JEL: | D84 E24 E32 I23 I24 I26 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:335943 |
| By: | Zhuang Liu; Wenwei Peng; Shaoda Wang |
| Abstract: | Honesty is perceived as fundamental to societal functioning, motivating education systems worldwide to enforce strict oversight and heavy penalties for dishonest behavior. Yet much academic misconduct remains unexposed, and its broader consequences are further obscured by the sorting of individuals into careers based on probity. Applying advanced plagiarism-detection algorithms to half a million publicly available graduate dissertations in China, we uncover hidden misconduct and validate it against incentivized measures of honesty. Linking plagiarism records to rich administrative data, we document four main findings. First, plagiarism is pervasive and predicts adverse political selection: plagiarists are more likely to enter and advance in the public sector. Second, plagiarists perform worse when holding power: focusing on the judiciary and exploiting quasi-random case assignments, we find that judges with plagiarism histories issue more preferential rulings and attract a greater number of appeals — effects partly mitigated by trial livestreaming. Third, plagiarizing judges generate spillovers onto other judges and lawyers. Fourth, exploiting the staggered adoption of detection tools, we demonstrate that enforcing academic integrity leads to modest improvements in future professional conduct. |
| JEL: | M5 P00 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34747 |
| By: | James J. Heckman; Haihan Tian; Zijian Zhang; Jin Zhou |
| Abstract: | This paper discusses a fundamental problem in measuring the growth of knowledge and comparing the skills of people. New skills emerge that are not just more of the previously acquired skills. Psychometric convention forces these skills into arbitrarily constructed scales, which can severely distort measurement. To formally address this problem, we measure skills using a novel measurement scheme, estimate a stochastic learning process and reject the common scale assumption across levels for language and cognitive skills. Furthermore, we estimate dynamic complementarity without imposing arbitrary scales for skills. |
| JEL: | C18 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34737 |
| By: | Violeta Cvetkoska (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia); Filip Peovski (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia); Gjore Gakjev (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia); Binela Karamaleska (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia); Elena Avramovikj (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia); Lina Taneska (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia); Aleksandra Peshova (Faculty of Economics-Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia) |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the adoption and usage of ChatGPT by college students in educational settings. The analysis uses a four-stage business analytics framework to look at usage, trust, confidence, motivation, acceptance, and verification patterns using survey data from 203 respondents in a variety of disciplines. The findings highlight ChatGPT's function as a tool for improving comprehension and self-assurance by demonstrating that the three strongest predictors of frequent use are understanding, trust, and confidence. The tension between critical evaluation and reliance on AI is highlighted by the fact that motivation plays a secondary role, and verification is largely irrelevant and negatively associated with trust. According to the research, generative AI works best when viewed as an academic ally that promotes learning and introspection rather than taking the place of critical thinking. The study provides context-bound findings that inform hypotheses for larger cross-institutional and cross-national research because of its single-country sample. The paper highlights recommendations to universities to foster AI literacy, safeguard the crucial academic integrity, and integrate ChatGPT into teaching practices responsibly and effectively. |
| Keywords: | Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Learning habits, Business analytics, Higher education |
| JEL: | C83 I21 M15 |
| Date: | 2025–12–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aoh:conpro:2025:i:6:p:127-140 |
| By: | Aomar Ibourk; Karim El Aynaoui |
| Abstract: | This study provides an original and significant contribution to evaluating educational service quality in Morocco by leveraging, for the first time, microdata from the Service Delivery Indicators (SDI) survey. The survey covers a nationally representative sample of 300 public and private primary schools across rural and urban areas. The use of SDI data represents a major methodological advancement, shifting away from perception-based assessments toward objective indicators, including classroom observations, unannounced school visits, and standardized tests administered to teachers and students. A key added value of the study lies in its focus on rural education effectiveness, a topic that remains largely underexplored. In rural areas, where structural heterogeneity is high, education is mainly delivered through community and satellite schools. The research offers an in-depth analysis of multigrade classrooms, a common solution to teacher shortages and infrastructure limitations in remote regions, though their pedagogical effectiveness remains debated. Methodologically, the study employs a two-step approach—Data Envelopment Analysis and truncated regression—to assess and explain variations in school performance. It finds that while community schools tend to be more stable, they are generally less efficient. Additionally, preschool attendance and infrastructure renovation emerge as key positive drivers of educational effectiveness, offering clear policy insights. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ocp:rpaeco:ppscienc_26_1 |
| By: | Scott A. Imberman; Michael F. Lovenheim; Patrick Massey; Kevin M. Stange; Rodney J. Andrews |
| Abstract: | Gender and racial/ethnic gaps in labor market earnings remain large, even among college-goers. Cross-gender and race/ethnic differences in choice of and returns to college major are potentially important contributors. Following Texas public high school graduates for up to 20 years through college and the labor market, we assess gender and racial differences in college major choices and the consequences of these choices. Women and underrepresented minorities are less likely than men, Whites, and Asians to major in high earning fields like business, economics, engineering, and computer science, however we also show that they experience lower returns to these majors. Differences in major-specific returns relative to liberal arts explain about one quarter of the gender, White-Black, and White-Hispanic (but not White-Asian) earnings gaps among four-year college students and become larger contributors to earnings gaps than differential major distributions as workers age. We present suggestive evidence that differences in occupation choices within field are a key driver of the differences in returns across groups. The work shines light on the roles that college major choice and returns by gender and race contribute to inequality. |
| JEL: | I23 I26 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34726 |
| By: | Ishmael Amartey |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the relationship between public education spending and income inequality across U.S. counties from 2010 to 2022 using quantile regression methods. The analysis shows that total per pupil education spending is consistently associated with a small increase in income inequality, with stronger effects in high inequality counties. In contrast, the composition of education spending plays a substantially more important role. Reallocating budgets toward instructional, support service, and other current expenditures significantly reduces income inequality, particularly at the upper quantiles of the Gini distribution. Capital outlays and interest payments exhibit weaker and mixed effects. Economic and demographic factors, especially poverty, median income, and educational attainment, remain dominant drivers of inequality. Overall, the results demonstrate that how education funds are allocated matters more than how much is spent, underscoring the importance of budget composition in using public education policy to promote equity. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2601.11928 |
| By: | Ah-Reum Lee; Jacqueline M. Torres; Jinkook Lee |
| Abstract: | Higher education has expanded worldwide, with women outpacing men in many regions. While educational attainment is consistently linked to better physical health, its mental health effects - particularly for women - remain underexplored, and causal evidence is limited. We estimate the impact of college completion on depression among middle-aged women in South Korea, leveraging the 1993 higher education reform, which raised women's college attainment by 45 percentage points (pp) over the following decade. We use two nationally representative datasets to triangulate evidence, including the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2007-2021) for physician-diagnosed depression, and the Korean Longitudinal Survey of Women and Families (KLoWF, 2007-2022) to validate findings using self-reports of depressive symptoms. We implement two-stage least squares (2SLS) with a birth-cohort instrument based on exposure to the reform (within 3 years of the cutoff in KNHANES and within 1 to 3 years in KLoWF). In KNHANES, college completion lowers physician-diagnosed depression by 2.4 pp, attenuating to 1.6 pp after adjusting for income, employment, and physical health. In KLoWF, college completion improves self-reported mental health. The weekly depressive-symptoms composite declines by 17.4 pp, attenuating to 16.4 pp after covariate adjustment. Placebo tests on unaffected cohorts yield null results. This study contributes to the growing quasi-experimental literature on education and mental health with convergent evidence across clinical diagnoses and self-reported depressive symptoms in South Korea. By focusing on college education in a non-Western setting, it extends the external validity of existing findings and highlights educational policy as a potential lever to reduce the burden of midlife depression among women. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2601.20976 |
| By: | Yang LIU |
| Abstract: | Contrary to conventional views, evidence from several countries shows that fertility does not always decline with women’s education due to the recent marketization of childcare, which may enable a positive relationship between women’s labor supply and childcare. Using the most recent individual-level data, this study provides the first evidence of a U-shaped relationship between education and fertility among married Japanese women, focusing on the period 2015-2020, during which market-based childcare expanded substantially in Japan. Compared to low-educated women, highly educated women exhibit both higher fertility and greater labor supply. In contrast, medium-educated women supply more labor than low-educated women but exhibit lower fertility. Unlike the U-shaped education–fertility pattern observed in the United States, labor supply continues to substantially reduce fertility among highly educated women in Japan, as well as among women with medium and low levels of education. Based on standard economic theory of fertility, the U-shaped association could be driven by differences in the relative sizes of the income and substitution effects across education groups. In addition, the U-shaped pattern is not observed for permanent immigrant women living in Japan; instead, their fertility increases with education, likely reflecting a slower pace of economic and social integration. Overall, the results suggest that policies promoting women’s human capital development may enhance both their fertility and labor supply in Japan, while obstacles for women balancing work and child-rearing still exist broadly in the country and more serious attention should be employed in tackling this issue. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:26008 |
| By: | Milagros Onofri; Inés Berniell; Raquel Fernández; Azul Menduiña |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the sharp decline in fertility across Latin America using both period and cohort measures. Combining Vital Statistics, Census microdata, and UN population data, we decompose changes in fertility by age, education, and joint age–education groups. We show that the decline in period fertility between 2000 and 2022 is driven primarily by reductions in within-group birth rates rather than by changes in population composition, with the largest contributions coming from younger and less-educated women. Comparing the cohort born in the mid 1950s and the one born in the mid 1970s, we find that the decline in completed fertility reflects not only delayed childbearing but also substantial reductions in the average number of children per woman. This is driven primarily by lower fertility among mothers rather than by rising childlessness. Our findings provide new evidence on the nature of Latin America’s transition to below-replacement fertility and highlight several open questions for future research. |
| JEL: | J11 J13 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34749 |