La question des redoublements. Analyse économique et problèmes statistiques

We study the debate relative to grade retention in the educational system. We first consider the practice of grade retention from the point of view of economic analysis. We then study the specific statistical and econometric problems posed by the measurement of the treatment effects of grade repetitions, emphasizing the grade repeaters?selection problem, or the endogenous nature of grade retention decisions. A number of recent studies show that grade retention can have positive effects in the short run. In contrast, in the long run, it seems that grade repetitions play the role of a negative signal on labour markets. Classification JEL : I2, C21