This study was prepared by Elke Lüdemann while she was working in the Department Human Capital and Innovation of the Ifo Institute. It was completed in July 2011 and accepted as a doctoral thesis by the Economics Department of the University of Munich (LMU). The subject of this study is a micro...

Während Haupt- und Realschüler vor der bayerischen Schulreform bis zum Ende der sechsten Klasse gemeinsam gelernt haben, werden sie seither bereits nach der vierten Klasse getrennt. Eine aktuelle Studie des ifo Instituts hat die Auswirkungen dieser Reform auf die Schülerkompetenzen anhand von...

We estimate the impact of spatial mobility on job match quality by using a data set of recent Dutch university and college graduates We find positive wage returns related to spatial mobility. However, after controlling for the self-selection of migrants with an IV approach, this effect is no...

It is shown that an economy where agents with one dimensional skill choose among occupations as intermediate complementary inputs with di¤erent learning costs has an equilibrium hierarchy from the lowest cost/skill/wage occupations to the highest which agents will cascade along away from the...

This paper estimates future adult earnings effects associated with a universal pre-K program in Tulsa, Oklahoma. These informed projections help to compensate for the lack of long-term data on universal pre-K programs, while using metrics that relate test scores to valued social benefits....

This paper examines the effect of early childhood investments on college enrollment and degree completion. We use the random assignment in the Project STAR experiment to estimate the effect of smaller classes in primary school on college entry, college choice, and degree completion. We improve...

Banking reforms--that reduced interest rates--boosted college enrollment rates among able students from middle class families. We define "able" students as those with learning aptitude scores in the top two-thirds of the U.S. population. We define "middle class" as families in which both parents...

One of the continuing areas of controversy surrounding higher education is affirmative action. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear Fisher v. Texas, and their ruling may well influence universities' diversity initiatives, especially if they overturn Grutter v. Bollinger and rule that diversity...

We analyze the economic returns to different postsecondary degrees in Chile. We posit a schooling decision model with unobserved ability, observed test scores and labor market outcomes. We benefit from administrative records to carry out our empirical strategy. Our results show positive average...

This paper provides evidence on ability peer effects in university education. Identification comes from the random assignment of students to sections. We find that students on average benefit from better-ability peers. Low-ability students, however, are harmed by high-ability peers. We introduce...