The Returns to Education and Basic Skills Training for Individuals with Poor Health or Disability

This paper examines linkages between disability and health status and the returns to education and basic skills training. It bases analyses on two separate data sources: wave 3 from the 1993 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The data sets have been used to estimate standard wage equations with education and basic skills training among the independent variables. The NALS data set allows us to control for prose, quantitative, and document literacy. The wage equations rely on Heckit corrections for labor force participation, and we stratify by sex. We also estimate the wage equations stratifying by disability status (also with an appropriate econometric correction) to permit the coefficient estimates on all the regressors to vary by disability status. Overall, we find that the returns to education for individuals with a disability or poor health are positive, although of moderate size and equal to the returns for the nondisabled population. The findings suggest supply side policy options that maintain or improve access to and retention in educational opportunities are indicated. Basic skills training seems to be especially advantageous for some individuals.disability, education, returns, Hollenbeck, Kimmel

The Returns to Education and Basic Skills Training for Individuals with Poor Health or Disability

This paper examines linkages between disability and health status and the returns to education and basic skills training. It bases analyses on two separate data sources: wave 3 from the 1993 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The data sets have been used to estimate standard wage equations with education and basic skills training among the independent variables. The NALS data set allows us to control for prose, quantitative, and document literacy. The wage equations rely on Heckit corrections for labor force participation, and we stratify by sex. We also estimate the wage equations stratifying by disability status (also with an appropriate econometric correction) to permit the coefficient estimates on all the regressors to vary by disability status. Overall, we find that the returns to education for individuals with a disability or poor health are positive, although of moderate size and equal to the returns for the nondisabled population. The findings suggest supply side policy options that maintain or improve access to and retention in educational opportunities are indicated. Basic skills training seems to be especially advantageous for some individual

Returns to education across Europe: A comparative analysis for selected EU countries

Incentives to invest in higher education are affected by both the direct wage effect of human capital investments and the indirect wage effect resulting from lower unemployment risks and shorter spells in unemployment associated with higher educated. We analyse the returns to education in Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom, countries which differ significantly regarding both their education systems and labour market structure. We estimate augmented Mincerian wage equations accounting for the effects of unemployment on individual wages using EU-SILC data. Across countries we find a high variation of the effect of education on unemployment duration. Overall, the returns to education are estimated to be the highest in the UK, and the lowest for Sweden. A wage decrease due to time spent in unemployment results in a decline in the hourly wages in Austria, Germany and Italy. --Returns to education,unemployment,EU-SILC

The Structure of Wages in India, 1983-1999

This paper examines the structure of wages for adult male workers within a dual labour market framework using micro survey data for three years spanning almost two decades. Augmented Mincerian wage equations are estimated for different types of workers – those with regular wage or salaried jobs and those with casual or contractual jobs - using a set of human capital measures and a variety of worker, industry and state characteristics after correcting for potential selection bias. This paper finds that the returns to education and experience are significantly different for these two types of workers consistent with the notion of segmented labour markets - while casual workers face at best flat returns the returns for regular workers are positive and rising in education level. There is some evidence of significant changes in the returns to education for regular workers over time. The widening of the gap between graduate and primary education and the rise in wage inequality could possibly be a consequence of trade liberalisation and other reforms pursued during the 1990s.wages, returns to education, segmented labour markets, India

Returns to education in West Germany: an empirical assessment

This paper analyses the developments in the returns to education in West Germany for the period from 1984 to 1997. Based on simple Mincer-type wage equations, we estimate a return of about 8% for men and 10% for women, and these returns have remained remarkably stable over the period. On the basis of more differentiated specifications of wage equations, we find evidence for the presence of cohort effects, in addition to time and lifecycle effects. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the choice of the sample of observation plays a crucial role. Indeed, huge differences exist between part-timers and full-timers, as well as between private and public sectors. Full-time working women have similar returns to schooling than men, and if female returns are declining and have become lower than male returns in the private sector, they are rather increasing and are higher than male ones in the public sector. Moreover, not all education degrees yield the same annual return. If one accounts for the different lengths of studies, the master craftsman degree yields the highest return. However, the estimates proved rather robust towards the specification of the wage equation and the estimation method. --

Returns to education and experience in self-employment: Evidence from Germany

This paper compares the returns to human capital in the self-employed and wage-employed sectors of the economy. Using data from the former West German sample of the German Socioeconomic Panel survey for the 1984-1997 time period, we estimate returns to education and work experience from standard log-earnings equations for self-employed and wage-employed workers. Two key results are found. First, additional schooling has a smaller effect on earnings for the self-employed than for the wage-employed. Indeed, educational attainment has an insignificant effect on self-employment earnings. Second, prior self-employment experience receives a lower return in wage-employment than does prior wage-employment experience. These results are consistent across specifications controlling for education endogeneity and self-selection bias.

Quality-Consistent Estimates of International Returns to Skill

Returns to education are traditionally estimated in a Mincer wage equation from the variation in schooling for a cross-section of individuals of different ages. Because individuals receive education at different time periods, when the quality of their education may not be identical, this method leads to an over- or under-estimation of the return to education of a given quality depending on how education quality evolves over time. This quality issue interacts with ability bias from self-selection into schooling and is particularly problematic when comparing returns across different countries. Using microdata from the International Adult Literacy Survey, we construct quality adjusted measures of schooling attained at different time periods and use these along with international literacy test information to estimate returns to skills for 13 countries. Estimated returns to quality-adjusted education are considerably higher than the traditional estimate for most countries, but these are offset to varying degrees by selection biases on ability. The combined corrections alter significantly the pattern of returns to schooling and skill seen from naive Mincer wage equations.

The impact of education and mismatch on wages: the USA, 1986-1996

In analysing the impact of education on wage differentials and wage growth, we use next topersonal characteristics (e.g. education and experience) also job characteristics (e.g. skillsrequired) to explain wages. We estimate wage equations on individual data for the USA, 1986 –1996. When discussing observed and previously unobserved heterogeneity it turns out thatpersonal characteristics like education and experience explain about half of the variation inwages. At least 20 per cent is explained by variation in job characteristics. When comparing theresults with similar research for the Netherlands, the returns to experience are the same in bothcountries, while the premiums on education and in particular required skills are much higher inthe US.labour economics ;

Returns for Entrepreneurs vs. Employees: The Effect of Education and Personal Control on the Relative Performance of Entrepreneurs vs. Wage Employees

How valuable is education for entrepreneurs' performance as compared to employees'? What might explain any differences? And does education affect peoples' occupational choices accordingly? We answer these questions based on a large panel of US labor force participants. We show that education affects peoples' decisions to become an entrepreneur negatively. We show furthermore that entrepreneurs have higher returns to education than employees (in terms of the comparable performance measure 'income'). This is the case even when estimating individual fixed effects of the differential returns to education for spells in entrepreneurship versus wage employment, thereby accounting for selectivity into entrepreneurial positions based on fixed individual characteristics. We find these results irrespective of whether we control for general ability and/or whether we use instrumental variables to cope with the endogenous nature of education in income equations. Finally, we find (indirect) support for the argument that the higher returns to education for entrepreneurs is due to fewer (organizational) constraints faced by entrepreneurs when optimizing the profitable employment of their education. Entrepreneurs have more personal control over the profitable employment of their human capital than wage employees.entrepreneurship, self-employment, returns to education, performance, personal control, locus of control, human capital, wages, incomes

The Impact of education and mismatch on wages: Germany, 1984-2000

In analysing the impact of education on wage differentials and wage growth, we use next to personal characteristics (e. g. education and experience) also jobcharacteristics (e. g. skills required) to explain wages. We estimate wage equations on individual data for Germany, 1984 – 2000. When discussing observed andpreviously unobserved heterogeneity it turns out that personal characteristics like education and experience explain about half of the variation in wages. At least 20 per cent is explained by variation in job characteristics. When comparing the results with similar research for the Netherlands an the USA, the returns toexperience are the same in all countries, while the premiums on required skills and in particular education are much higher in the USA.labour economics ;