Blanden, Jo, Buscha, Franz, Sturgis, Patrick 
ORCID: 0000-0003-1180-3493 and Urwin, Peter
(2012)
Measuring the earnings returns to lifelong learning in the UK.
Economics of Education Review, 31 (4).
pp. 501-514.
ISSN 0272-7757
Abstract
This paper examines the earnings returns to learning that takes place following the conventional 'school-to-work' stage of the life-course. We operationalise such 'lifelong learning' as the attainment of certified qualifications in adulthood, following the completion of the first period of continuous full-time education. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) for the period 1991-2006, our approach and findings represent an important addition to the existing evidence base. By using annual data, we are able to employ the fixed effects estimator, which eliminates the problem of time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity. Our dynamic specification uses a lag structure to consider how earnings returns evolve in the medium and longer run, whilst also controlling for wage trends which were evident . prior to qualification attainment. Our results show a medium-run return for women of 10% on hourly wages. For men, initial suggestions of a similar positive return are eliminated once pre-qualification trends are taken into account. This suggests that adult learning has a causal effect on women's subsequent earnings but, for men, any apparent gain is due to selection.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/economics-of... |
| Additional Information: | © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. |
| Divisions: | Methodology |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences L Education |
| JEL classification: | I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I20 - General I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education > I21 - Analysis of Education 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 |
| Date Deposited: | 09 Oct 2019 11:06 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Sep 2024 07:59 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/101961 |
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