This paper presents an analysis of the differential role of mortality for the optimal schooling and retirement age when the accumulation of human capital follows the so-called "Ben-Porath mechanism". We set up a life-cycle model of consumption and labor supply at the extensive margin that allows...

Can policymakers hire more effective teachers by increasing the relative economic benefits of teaching? We investigate this question by exploiting business cycle conditions at career start as a source of exogenous variation in the outside labor market opportunities of potential teachers. Using...

Optimal integration policies should take the language skills of arriving migrants into account. However, little is known about the determinants of these skills, because most survey-based studies cannot distinguish between language learning before and after migration. We present a new dataset...

We analyze the short- and long-run effects of public education on economic growth and welfare. In so doing, we extend an R&D-based economic growth model by including a governmental sector that levies labor income taxes and uses the proceeds to finance teachers. An increase in the tax rate...

This study examines whether cultural norms arising from traditional agricultural practices affect the formation of gender-specific skills. We hypothesize that a culturally induced division of labor along gender lines generates gender-specific skills. As opposed to the traditional measurement of...

A growing body of research suggests that, even after controlling for cognitive abilities, personality predicts economic success in later life. The learning environment at school focuses on knowledge and cognitive skills. The transmission of character skills, however, is not at the center of...

In this paper we study the relationship between intersectoral wage inequality and economic growth. In the empirical part of the paper, we find a negative correlation of relative wages in the financial sector with respect to manufacturing sector with subsequent economic growth in case of the U.S....

This paper investigates the effect of the size of the local labour market on skill mismatch. Using survey data for Germany, we find that male workers in large cities are both less likely to be overqualified for their job and to work in a different field than the one they are trained for....

Teenage birth rates differ significantly across developed countries. They are higher in countries with high income inequality and low intergenerational income mobility. We develop an economic theory of parental investments and risky sexual behavior of teenagers. The model is calibrated to match...

This paper uses Danish full population register data from 1995 to 2001 to analyze self-selection of migrants from Denmark. We find that Danish emigrants are more educated and have higher pre-emigration earnings than non-migrants. The earnings of emigrants are not higher only on average, but the...