This paper analyzes the combined effect of school entry-age increase and the introduction of preparatory year (pre-school) on educational achievement using a difference-in-difference specification. Achievement is assessed using the score on national standardized tests across a range of subjects....

We use a sharp, exogenous and repeated change in the value of leisure to identify the impact of student effort on educational achievement.  The treatment arises from the partial overlap of the world's major international football tournaments with the exam period in England.  Our data enable a...

Despite numerous studies on skill development, we know little about the effects of extracurricular music activities on cognitive and non-cognitive skills. This study examines how music training during childhood and youth affects the development of cognitive skills, school grades, personality,...

Despite numerous studies on skill development, we know little about the effects of extracurricular music activities on cognitive and non-cognitive skills. This study examines how music training during childhood and youth affects the development of cognitive skills, school grades, personality,...

"This study uses the Swiss Graduate Survey data to investigate the determinants of job-education mismatch and the associated consequences on earnings while controlling for various ability and motivation factors, as well as socio-demographic, labor market and institutional characteristics. The...