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on Education |
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Issue of 2026–03–02
twenty-one papers chosen by João Carlos Correia Leitão, Universidade da Beira Interior |
| By: | Matthew A. Kraft; John P. Papay; Jessalynn K. James; Manuel Monti-Nussbaum |
| Abstract: | We examine how performance changes when teachers transfer across very different school contexts. The Talent Transfer Initiative program created a rare natural experiment to study such transfers by randomly assigning low-achieving schools the ability to offer high-performing teachers at higher-achieving schools a $20, 000 transfer stipend. Forecast tests show that these high-performing teachers’ prior value added is only moderately predictive of their effectiveness in low-achieving schools. Using a difference-in-differences framework, we estimate that incentivized-transfer teachers’ value added dropped by 0.12 student standard deviations. This decline appears to be driven by lower match quality, negative indirect school effects, and the loss of student-specific human capital. |
| JEL: | I2 I21 I24 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34845 |
| By: | Matias Busso; Sebastián Montaño (UMB - University of Maryland [Baltimore]); Juan Muñoz-Morales (LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - ULCO - Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Nolan Pope (UMB - University of Maryland [Baltimore]) |
| Abstract: | Teacher quality is a key factor in improving student academic achievement. As such, educational policymakers strive to design systems to hire the most effective teachers. This paper examines the effects of a national policy reform in Colombia that established a merit-based teacher-hiring system intended to enhance teacher quality and improve student learning. Implemented in 2005 for all public schools, the policy ties teacher-hiring decisions to candidates' performance on an exam evaluating subject-specific knowledge and teaching aptitude. The implementation of the policy led to many experienced contract teachers being replaced by high exam-performing novice teachers. We find that though the policy sharply increased pre-college test scores of teachers, it also decreased the overall stock of teacher experience and led to sharp decreases in students' exam performance and educational attainment. Using a difference-in-differences strategy to compare the outcomes of students from public and private schools over two decades, we show that the hiring reform decreased students' performance on high school exit exams by 8 percent of a standard deviation, and reduced the likelihood that students enroll in and graduate from college by more than 10 percent. The results underscore that relying exclusively on specific ex ante measures of teacher quality to screen candidates, particularly at the expense of teacher experience, may unintentionally reduce students' learning gains. |
| Keywords: | Teacher screening, Colombia, Test scores, College enrollment, Teaching experience, Teachers |
| Date: | 2024–09–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05490584 |
| By: | María Cervini-Plá (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Alina Machado (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of the exogenous shock of COVID-19, which led to a transition from in-person to online education, on the academic performance of university students, with a particular focus on gender differences. We exploit a unique and comprehensive dataset that includes all evaluation activities and their outcomes, for students enrolled in 2018 and 2019 at the main university in Uruguay. Using difference-in- differences techniques, we find that female students outperformed their male counterparts by passing more courses and improving their grade point average. This effect is observed among women from medium and higher socioeconomic backgrounds and those who enter university immediately after finishing secondary school. Exploring the mechanisms behind these outcomes, we find that women report having greater participation compared to in-person classes, perceive more advantages in staying at home, and recognize more benefits in not commuting to the educational institution. |
| Keywords: | Gender, higher education, performance, online learning, university |
| JEL: | I21 I23 I24 J16 |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-22-25 |
| By: | Theresa Hübsch; Robert Mahlstedt; Pia Pinger; Sonja Settele; Helene Willadsen |
| Abstract: | Using surveys with Danish students transitioning to secondary education, we study mental models of how gender and parental education shape academic performance. Students hold heterogeneous beliefs about performance gaps by gender and parental background, which appear to be shaped by within-family transmission and broader social environments. Open-text responses reveal that respondents link strong performance by girls and less socioeconomically privileged students to effort, while attributing privileged students' success to external advantages. Mental models matter: beliefs about performance gaps predict enrollment in upper secondary education by gender and parental education and causally affect students’ self-assessments, intended effort, and educational aspirations, as shown in an information experiment with girls. We highlight two mechanisms: updating about the returns to effort and about gender-specific effort costs in response to observed gender performance gaps. Our findings advance the understanding of education choices and shed light on the determinants and effects of mental models in a high-stakes setting. |
| Keywords: | mental models, educational inequality, gender, parental education background |
| JEL: | D83 D84 I24 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12497 |
| By: | Alina Machado (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Fedora Carbajal (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Lucía Alvarez Núñez (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Psicología. Instituto de Fundamentos y Métodos en Psicología); Cecilia Rodríguez Ingold (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill); Alejandro Maiche (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Psicología); Alejandro Vásquez Echeverría (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Psicología) |
| Abstract: | Personality traits, other psychological factors, and cognitive abilities have consistently been related to academic performance. However, there is limited empirical evidence on how these factors jointly influence dropout decisions. This study examines the relationship between big-five personality traits, consideration of future consequences, and fluid intelligence on dropout decisions among second-year students in the Economics and Psychology colleges at Uruguay’s largest university. Using data from the 2018 student cohort and controlling for a range of sociodemographic and economic variables, we employed Probit and Multinomial Models to analyze dropout patterns. Our findings reveal that personality traits and fluid intelligence are significantly associated with dropout decisions, though their effects vary across different academic disciplines. Moreover, we identify distinct patterns in the influence of personality traits and cognitive abilities on instructional versus systemic dropout. These findings contribute to the growing literature on psychological determinants of educational outcomes and offer insights for higher education policy aimed at improving student retention. |
| Keywords: | higher education, instructional and systemic dropout, personality, fluid intelligence, academic trajectories |
| JEL: | I20 I21 I23 |
| Date: | 2025–04 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-12-25 |
| By: | Daniele Caliari; Valentino Dardanoni; Carla Guerriero; Paola Manzini; Marco Mariotti |
| Abstract: | We study experimentally how children’s ability to avoid choice errors develops over time, focusing on both riskless and risky decisions among primary school children. We identify four types of rationality violations: cycles and menu effects in the riskless domain; and dominance and framing effects compatible with correlation neglect in the risky domain. We find that types of violations are correlated within domains but broadly independent across domains. To interpret our results we build and estimate a structural model of limited consideration. We identify an index of error avoidance and study how it develops with age and socioeconomic background, providing a new tool to understand the development of choice errors. |
| Date: | 2026–01–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bri:uobdis:26/823 |
| By: | Krzysztof Karbownik; Helena Svaleryd; Jonas Vlachos; Xuemeng Wang |
| Abstract: | Work-related burnout and stress-related sickness absence have become increasingly prevalent, but evidence on which workplace features shape workers’ mental health remains limited. Using population-level Swedish register data covering all lower- and upper-secondary teachers from 2006–2024, we show that schools serving more disadvantaged students exhibit substantially higher rates of sickness absence, particularly for stress-related diagnoses. Exploiting within-teacher variation across student cohorts, we separate sorting from exposure and find that a one standard deviation increase in student disadvantage raises overall and stress-related sick leave by 3.6% and 8.7%, respectively. Survey evidence indicates that these effects operate through classroom conditions rather than workload or organizational differences. The findings establish client composition as a distinct and policy-relevant determinant of worker health in contact-intensive occupations. |
| JEL: | I10 I21 J63 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34841 |
| By: | Theresa Hübsch (University of Bonn); Robert Mahlstedt (University of Copenhagen); Pia Pinger (University of Cologne, ECONtribute & MPI for Behavioral Economics Bonn); Sonja Settele (University of Cologne, ECONtribute & MPI for Behavioral Economics Bonn); Helene Willadsen (National Research Centre for the Working Environment) |
| Abstract: | Using surveys with Danish students transitioning to secondary education, we study mental models of how gender and parental education shape academic performance. Students hold heterogeneous beliefs about performance gaps by gender and parental background, which appear to be shaped by within-family transmission and broader social environments. Open-text responses reveal that respondents link strong performance by girls and less socioeconomically privileged students to effort, while attributing privileged students' success to external advantages. Mental models matter: beliefs about performance gaps predict enrollment in upper secondary education by gender and parental education and causally affect students’ self-assessments, intended effort, and educational aspirations, as shown in an information experiment with girls. We highlight two mechanisms: updating about the returns to effort and about gender-specific effort costs in response to observed gender performance gaps. Our findings advance the understanding of education choices and shed light on the determinants and effects of mental models in a high-stakes setting. |
| Keywords: | Beliefs, Education, Inequality |
| JEL: | D83 D84 I24 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:392 |
| By: | Federico Araya (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Pablo Blanchard (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Juan Camilo Cárdenas (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Elisa Failache (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Ivone Perazzo (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía) |
| Abstract: | Taking advantage of a random assignment to a conventional introductory microeconomics course or to a course based on the CORE Project (Curriculum Open-Access Resources in Economics) in Uruguay, we provide causal evidence on the effects of CORE on students ‘academic experience, study practices and academic performance. Consistent with the project ‘s objectives, our results show that students assigned to CORE are 18% more likely than those in the traditional course to believe that the course contributed to their academic and professional formation. Furthermore, assignment to CORE reduces the probability of students paying for private microeconomics tutoring outside of school and increases both class attendance and the probability of study in group. Lastly, we do not observe systematic differences in course pass rates. We also find no significant differences in the simultaneous calculus course or an advanced microeconomics course. Therefore, we find no evidence of disadvantages in subsequent related courses of using CORE-based courses. |
| Keywords: | economics education, CORE-Project |
| JEL: | A20 |
| Date: | 2025–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-16-25 |
| By: | Lars Behlen; Raphael Brade; Oliver Himmler; Robert Jäckle |
| Abstract: | Opportunity costs are central to economic decision-making but often neglected. In a pre-registered experiment with 2, 222 German university freshmen, one treatment provides salary information; another additionally frames it as the opportunity cost of delayed graduation. Only the opportunity cost framing causes students to update salary expectations. We find no effect on academic progress but a 2.8 percentage points increase in first-semester dropout (p=0.080), concentrated among high-dropout-probability students (5.9 pp, p=0.025). For these marginal students, dropping out instead of progressing faster is the actionable margin. By semester three, dropout rates converge, suggesting acceleration of eventual exits rather than additional dropouts. |
| Keywords: | natural field experiment, opportunity cost neglect, earnings expectations, academic achievement |
| JEL: | C93 D84 D91 I21 I23 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12487 |
| By: | Thomas Dohmen; Bart Golsteyn; Hans Grönqvist; Edvin Hertegård; Gerard Pfann; Gerard A. Pfann |
| Abstract: | This study examines how parenting styles predict children’s lifetime outcomes. Using a Swedish dataset which combines rich survey information on parenting styles with administrative records tracking children over five decades, we find that authoritarian parenting is negatively associated with children’s long-term success, especially regarding their educational attainment. The results for other parenting styles are more mixed. Authoritarian parenting remains a robust predictor of adverse outcomes even when accounting for ability and family background. We identify children’s knowledge accumulation and parental educational expectations as key mechanisms explaining these results. |
| Keywords: | child rearing, human capital, skill formation |
| JEL: | I24 J13 J24 R20 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12407 |
| By: | Maria A. Cattaneo; Stefan C. Wolter; Thea Zöllner |
| Abstract: | Switzerland features strong socio-economic segregation and no formal school choice, making residential relocation the only channel through which parents can access preferred schools. Identifying how parents value school attributes is therefore essential but challenging, given that choices bundle multiple characteristics. We address this by conducting a discrete choice experiment with nearly 2, 700 parents with school-aged children, allowing us to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for individual and combined school attributes. We find that a substantial minority of parents value academic quality so highly that their preferences are effectively price-insensitive. Among price-sensitive parents, academic quality remains central, but they also exhibit positive WTP for schools with fewer students with special educational needs and fewer non-native-speaking peers. Interaction effects are strong: WTP for reductions in special-needs peers is highest if the school is among the academically strongest. Accounting for attribute interactions further reveals marked heterogeneity, with parents clustering into seven distinct preference types. |
| Keywords: | discrete choice experiment, willingness to pay, special needs education, school quality |
| JEL: | C4 H4 I20 I24 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12457 |
| By: | Núria Rodríguez-Planas; Kerstin Westergren |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impact of inflation on human capital investment decisions. Using a specially designed survey we estimate the causal effect of recent price level increases on the graduation plans of over 1, 200 U.S. university students. We find that inflation caused over half of the respondents to alter their plans, with nearly 60 percent of these opting to accumulate less human capital and the remainder increasing their human capital by taking additional courses or pursuing double majors or advanced degrees. A comparison of empirical treatment estimates to predictions derived from our theoretical framework reveals that inflation-driven higher direct costs reduced human capital investments, particularly among those for whom inflation had reduced their ability to pay bills. Conversely, while some students merely postponed graduation because they believed inflation would not persist, higher inflation-induced uncertainty in the post-graduation labor market generally caused greater human capital accumulation, especially among economically vulnerable students and those whose confidence in finding a job after graduation had declined. The study concludes with policy implications, contributing new insights into how macroeconomic shocks affect educational choices. |
| Keywords: | human capital investments, inflation, survey data, expected and actual outcomes |
| JEL: | I22 I23 I24 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12473 |
| By: | Ricard Grebol (UPPSALA UNIVERSITY); Margarita Machelett (BANCO DE ESPAÑA); Jan Stuhler (UNIVERSIDAD CARLOS III DE MADRID); Ernesto Villanueva (BANCO DE ESPAÑA) |
| Abstract: | We study the evolution of intergenerational educational mobility and related distributional statistics in Spain. Over recent decades, mobility has risen by one-third, coinciding with pronounced declines in inequality and assortative mating among the same cohorts. To explore these patterns, we examine regional correlates of mobility, using split-sample techniques. A key finding from both national and regional analyses is the close association between mobility and assortative mating: spousal sorting accounts for nearly half of the regional variation in intergenerational correlations and also appears to be a key mediator of the negative relationship between inequality and mobility documented in recent studies. |
| Keywords: | intergenerational mobility, assortative mating, inequality, education |
| JEL: | I24 J12 J62 N34 R11 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bde:wpaper:2606 |
| By: | María Victoria Anauati (CEDH-Universidad de San Andrés); Mariano Tommasi (CEDH-Universidad de San Andrés); Pablo Fernández (CEDH-Universidad de San Andrés); Cecilia Adrogué (CEDH-Universidad de San Andrés); Eugenia Orlicki (CEDH-Universidad de San Andrés) |
| Abstract: | Conventional benefit-incidence analyses often find public education spending to be progressive, particularly at basic and secondary levels. However, in systems with substantial private provision, measured progressivity may partly reflect income-based sorting between public and private schools rather than redistributive features of public spending itself. This paper refines the interpretation of standard progressivity measures by explicitly accounting for such sorting. Focusing on public secondary education in Argentina, we exploit cross-provincial variation in private school participation to decompose observed progressivity into a mechanical component driven by differential take-up and a structural component reflecting spending design and unit costs. Using a transparent counterfactual reweighting approach, we show that income-based sorting plays a quantitatively important and heterogeneous role across provinces, in some cases inflating and in others attenuating measured progressivity. Once sorting effects are accounted for, cross-provincial differences in progressivity are substantially reduced and provincial rankings change meaningfully. These findings underscore the importance of enrollment patterns for the measurement of the distributive incidence of in-kind public spending and provide a simple adjustment that can be readily incorporated into standard fiscal incidence analyses. |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:sad:wpaper:177 |
| By: | Chloe Gibbs; Esra Kose; Maria Rosales-Rueda |
| Abstract: | Women’s employment remains highly sensitive to childcare constraints, making childcare availability a critical lever for supporting mothers’ labor force attachment. We study the effects of expanded full-day programming in Head Start, using the 2016 federal funding initiative that targeted grantees with low full-day enrollment. Linking administrative program data, geo-coded center locations, and household data on employment, we estimate a difference-in-differences design by comparing mothers of young children in treated and untreated areas. The policy increased full-day enrollment by 19 percent and raised single mothers’ employment (1.9%), hours (2.5%), and earnings (6.5%). Results show that extending program duration meaningfully improves maternal labor market outcomes. |
| JEL: | I28 J13 J22 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34831 |
| By: | Matias Busso; Sebastián Montaño (UMD - University of Maryland [College Park] - University System of Maryland); Juan Muñoz-Morales (LEM - Lille économie management - UMR 9221 - UA - Université d'Artois - UCL - Université catholique de Lille - ULCO - Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale - Université de Lille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | Using longitudinal data of college graduates in Colombia, we estimate labor market returns to postsecondary degrees and to various skills—including literacy, numeracy, foreign language, and field-specific skills. Graduates of academic programs and schools of higher reputation obtain higher earnings relative to vocational public programs. A one standard deviation increase in each skill predicts average earnings increases of 1–3%. Returns vary along the earnings distribution, with tenure, with the degree of job specialization, and by gender. Our results imply that degrees and skills capture different human capital components that are rewarded differently in the labor market. |
| Keywords: | numeracy, literacy, foreign lan- guage, field-specific, Colombia, returns to education, returns to skills |
| Date: | 2024–09–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05490565 |
| By: | Giuseppe Di Giacomo; Benjamin Lerch |
| Abstract: | We explore how unexpected temporary increases in the demand for low-skill service jobs in the tourism industry impact educational choices in Italy. We identify exogenous variation in the demand for service jobs using positive shocks to the tourism industry caused by terrorist attacks in foreign destinations that compete with Italy for tourists. We find that an exogenous increase in tourism decreases college enrollment and completion in the year after the shock. The decline in enrollment is driven by fewer students choosing fields related to humanities and social sciences. Both men and women respond by reducing college enrollment and completion. The effect for men is temporary, while it is more persistent for women. These effects are likely driven by higher opportunity costs of college education, as we find that tourism shocks increase the demand for labor in service jobs, raising local employment in the tourism industry as well as labor force participation. Using an IV approach, we show that the average annual increase in tourist arrivals between 2010 and 2019 (21, 000 tourists) increases tourism employment growth by 16 percent, while reducing college enrollment and completion growth by 9 percent. |
| Keywords: | service jobs, tourism, education, college enrollment, field of study |
| JEL: | I25 J24 L83 Z32 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_12383 |
| By: | Sandu, Alexandra; Huxley, Katy; Keating, Jen; Whiffen, Tony; French, Rob |
| Abstract: | Understanding spatial variations in educational outcomes is important for addressing educational inequalities. This study examines how socio‐economic factors and household characteristics influence age 16 standardised attainment across Wales using linked administrative and census data. In terms of methodology, we employed logistic regression modelling at the individual level, while at the Lower Layer Super Output Area level, we used both Ordinary Least Squares and Geographically Weighted Regression. At the Individual level, results reveal strong associations between attainment and household characteristics, with household education level having positive effects, while socio‐economic disadvantage is negatively associated with attainment. The spatial analysis highlights significant variations in how these factors impact attainment across Wales. Household education level shows consistently positive effects throughout the country, while eligibility for free school meals and special educational needs demonstrate varying negative associations across small geographies. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the complex relationship between place, socio‐economic status, and educational outcomes in Wales. These findings suggest that one‐size‐fits‐all educational policies may be insufficient and emphasise the need for geographically targeted interventions. |
| Keywords: | spatial analysis; educational inequalities; geographically weighted regression; socio‐economic status; administrative data linkage |
| JEL: | N0 |
| Date: | 2026–03–31 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:137393 |
| By: | Paula Carrasco (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Paula Carrasco (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); María Eugenia Echeberría Latorre (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Noemí Katzkowicz (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía); Martina Querejeta (Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y de Administración. Instituto de Economía) |
| Abstract: | This study analyzes the evolution of the economic returns to university education in Uruguay (1997–2022) using administrative records on employment and education. We document four main patterns. First, despite the increase in the supply of graduates, the return associated with a university degree showed an upward trend until 2012, stabilizing at around 40% thereafter. Second, there are significant heterogeneities in place: returns are systematically higher for men than for women, greater in the private sector than in the public sector, and differences by field of study, with Medicine, Engineering, and Economics standing out with the highest returns. Third, socioeconomic background is a key driver of returns to schooling. We document significantly lower returns among students coming from public high schools, from outside the capital city -Montevideo-, and who are the first in their family in entering University. Finally, cohort-based analysis reveals similar initial returns across cohorts (20%), but faster wage growth rates among recent graduates, leading to a rapid convergence with those graduating in previous years. Gender differences have reduced among recent cohorts of graduates, yet they persist particularly in certain fields of study. |
| Keywords: | Skill premium, higher education, gender gaps, field of study |
| JEL: | J31 I23 I26 J24 |
| Date: | 2025–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ulr:wpaper:dt-14-25 |
| By: | Guillermo Cruces; Diego Fernández Meijide; Sebastian Galiani; Ramiro H. Gálvez; María Lombardi |
| Abstract: | Does generative artificial intelligence (AI) reinforce or reduce productivity differences across workers? Existing evidence largely studies AI within firms and occupations, where organizational selection compresses educational heterogeneity, leaving unclear whether AI narrows productivity gaps across individuals with substantially different levels of formal education. We address this question using a randomized online experiment conducted outside firms, in which 1, 174 adults ages 25–45 with heterogeneous educational backgrounds complete an incentivized, workplace-style business problem-solving task. The task is a general (not domain specific) exercise, and participants perform it either with or without access to a generative-AI assistant. Unlike prior work that studies heterogeneity within relatively homogeneous worker samples, our design targets the between–education-group productivity gap as the primary estimand. We find that AI increases productivity for all participants, with substantially larger gains for lower-education individuals. In the absence of AI access, higher-education participants outperform lower-education participants by 0.548 standard deviations; with AI access, this gap falls to 0.139 standard deviations, implying that generative AI closes about three quarters of the initial productivity gap. We interpret this pattern as evidence that generative AI narrows effective productivity differences in task execution by relaxing cognitive constraints that are more binding for lower-education individuals, even though underlying skill differences remain, as reflected in persistent education gaps in task performance and in a follow-up exercise without AI assistance. |
| JEL: | J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2026–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34851 |