Using 1,045 pairs of Japanese monozygotic twins, we examine differences in educational attainment by considering both the years of schooling (quantity) and the reputation of the last attended school (quality). We find that a difference in learning performance at 15 years of age is one of the key...

This paper investigates whether birth weight itself causes individuals’ future life chances. By using a sample of twins in Japan and controlling for the potential effects of genes and family backgrounds, we examine the effect of birth weight on later educational and economic outcomes. The most...