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Educational returns, ability composition and cohort effects: theory and evidence for cohorts of early-career UK graduates

Ireland, Norman, Naylor, Robin A., Smith, Jeremy and Telhaj, Shqiponja (2009) Educational returns, ability composition and cohort effects: theory and evidence for cohorts of early-career UK graduates. CEP Discussion Paper (939). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

An increase over time in the proportion of young people obtaining a degree is likely to impact on the relative ability compositions (i) of graduates and non-graduates and (ii) across graduates with different classes of degree award. In a signalling framework, we examine the implications of this on biases across cohorts in estimates of educational returns. In an empirical analysis, we exploit administrative data on whole populations of UK university students for ten graduate cohorts to investigate the extent to which early labour market outcomes vary with class of degree awarded. Consistent with our theoretical model, we find that returns by degree class increased across cohorts during a period of substantial graduate expansion. We also corroborate the empirical findings with evidence from complementary data on graduate sample surveys.

Item Type: Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information: © 2009 The authors
Divisions: Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects: H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
L Education > L Education (General)
JEL classification: D - Microeconomics > D8 - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty > D82 - Asymmetric and Private Information
J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J3 - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs > J31 - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials by Skill, Training, Occupation, etc.
J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Time Allocation, Work Behavior, and Employment Determination and Creation; Human Capital; Retirement > J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I21 - Analysis of Education
Date Deposited: 13 Jul 2010 15:20
Last Modified: 15 Sep 2023 23:17
URI: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/28608

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