Evaluating the Labor Market Performance of Veterans Using a Matched Comparison Group Design

The article of record as published may be found at https://ssrn.com/abstract=295080A key concern in estimating the effect of military service on civilian earnings is bias from unmeasured differences between military veterans and nonveterans. The effects of activeduty service are estimated using the 1986 and 1992 Reserve Components Surveys, which permit a matched comparison between reservists who are veterans and reservists without active-duty service. Because military entrance requirements are identical for the reserves and active duty, estimated treatment effects embody control for selection by the military and selection by workers for a form of military service. Results are presented for officers and enlisted personnel and by race and era of service. The average impact of active-duty service on civilian earnings is 3 percent among the reservist population, but this average reflects treatment effects of essentially zero for enlisted personnel and 10 percent for officers. Among white enlisted personnel, veteran effects are negative but small. Treatment effects for African-American veterans average about 5 percent. Vietnam-era white draftees are found to have suffered an approximate 5 percent wage penalty and volunteers little penalty, but estimates from the reservist sample are likely to understate negative effects from Vietnamera service

Productivity, Wages, and Marriage: The Case of Major League Baseball

The effect of marriage on productivity and, consequently, wages has been long debated in economics. A primary explanation for the impact of marriage on wages has been through its impact on productivity, however, there has been no direct evidence for this. In this paper, we aim to fill this gap by directly measuring the impact of marriage on productivity using a sample of professional baseball players from 1871 - 2007. Our results show that only lower ability men see an increase in productivity, though this result is sensitive to the empirical specification and weakly significant. In addition, despite the lack of any effect on productivity, high ability married players earn roughly 16 - 20 percent more than their single counterparts. We discuss possible reasons why employers may favor married men

Post-Service Earnings of Veterans: Evidence from the Reserves

This research analyzes the post-military earnings experiences of veterans from the all-volunteer force era. The 1986 DOD Reserve Components Survey is used to control for sources of bias associated with sample selectivity. Log-earnings equations are estimated to examine the effect of veteran status, branch of service, and skill transfer from the military to the civilian sector. In addition, wage differences by race and veteran status are estimated. Finally, wage profiles are estimated for veterans based on the number of years they have spent in the civilian labor force.Chief of Naval Personnel (OP-01) . Navy Annex, Washington. D. C.http://archive.org/details/postserviceearni00mehaN0001491WR35031NAApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Analysis of the Tuition Assistance Program: does the method of instruction matter in TA classes?

The Navy's Tuition Assistance (TA) program subsidizes the tuition costs of off-duty college classes for Navy personnel. Although prior studies have investigated the effect of completing college courses via TA on enlisted retention and promotion (Mehay and Pema, 2009), no prior study has examined the effect of the instructional methods in the courses taken via TA. Interest in course delivery methods has been stimulated by the rapid growth in online TA classes. This study analyzes the effects of completing TA-supported college courses on promotion and retention, and whether the mode of instruction in the courses is important. We also analyze how student learning and course completion varies by mode of instruction. Our analyses recognize the potential biases that arise from self-selection of students into courses, and we statistically adjust for individual heterogeneity in estimates of the impact of online and traditional classes. We find that completion rates and student grades are lower in online classes than in traditional classes. Overall, reenlistment rates are higher for those who complete their TA classes, versus those who fail or withdraw from their classes. However, reenlistment effects are greater for TA students who pass online courses than for those who pass traditional classes. Similarly, we find that the probability of promotion to E5 is higher for those who pass online classes, compared to those who do not complete their TA classes. On balance, the shift to online classes in the TA program appears to generate net benefits for the Navy.Contract number: 10MP4S001.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Trends in Regional Patterns of Migration, Immigration, and Economic Activity: Implications for Army Recruiting

This report tracks historical trends in regional migration and economic conditions and the link with Army recruiting patterns. Future projections of regional population, migration, and economic activity are also presented. A third area of analysis is the impact of foreign immigration on regional markets is analyzed. Finally, the likely impact of projected changes in regional recruiting markets on Army recruiting prospects are assessedU.S. Army Recruiting Command, Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate, Research and Studies Division, Fort Sheridan, ILhttp://archive.org/details/trendsinregional00greeMIPR 90-28Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Graduate education and employee performance: evidence from military personnel; Economics of Education Review, v. 18, (1999), 453-463.

Few studies have examined the relationship between on-the-job productivity and graduate education using single-firm data. This paper studies the effect of graduate education on job performance using a unique micro-database consisting of military officers. Supervisor ratings and promotion probabilities are examined for professional and technical officers in the US Navy, a hierarchical organization with an internal labor market and up-or-out promotion policies. Singlestage estimates indicate that, among those eligible to be considered for promotion to grade 4, the up-or-out point, those with any graduate degree are more likely to be promoted. The effect is especially pronounced for those who receive a degree via the Navyâ s sponsored, full-time program. However, when instruments that are uncorrelated with promotion are used to predict graduate degree status, the results suggest that a sizeable portion of the relationship between graduate education and promotion is due to unobserved attributes that lead some people to attend (or to be selected for) graduate school and to be more promotable. The selection-corrected estimates of the promotion effect of graduate education are reduced by between 40 and 50%

Socioeconomic factors and personal characteristics affecting the retention of officers in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps.

http://archive.org/details/socioeconomicfac00steeNAN

An analysis of migration in the U.S. Army Reserve

The goal of this research was to examine the geographic migration patterns of Army Reservists and to compare migration of reservists with that of civilians. Army personnel data were used to track changes in status of individual Army reservists between 1981 and 1987. Statistical techniques were used to analyze the determinants of individual migration and transfer behavior. In addition place-to place migration patterns were analyzed. Finally, the report discusses the importance of migration and transfers for the analysis of USAR markets and recruiting.U.S. Army Recruiting Command, Program Analysis and Evaluation Directorate, Research and Studies Division, Fort Sheridan, ILhttp://archive.org/details/analysisofmigrat00mehaMIPR 88-34NAApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Post-service earnings of Vietnam-era veterans.

http://archive.org/details/postserviceearni00soyaNAN

The post-military earnings of female veterans

The civilian labor market performance of women veterans is examined, using both traditional data sets and a special survey of reservists that facilitates control for selection by the military and enlistees. Evidence from all data sets indicates that female veterans possess a higher level of measured earnings endowments than do nonveterans. Moreover, evidence from the reservist survey supports the hypothesis that unobserved ability and preferences toward the military are positively correlated with measured endowments. Absent control for unmeasured quality and preferences, the observed wage advantage of female veterans is accounted for entirely by differences in measured characteristics. Following their control, a wage disadvantage is found for female veterans, relative to their nonveteran counterparts. An exception is among nonwhite female veterans, who realize wage rates similar to nonveterans. The low returns to military service for women may result from the narrow opportunities for skill enhancement given women within the military, and an inability to transfer these skills to the civilian sector owing to the specificity of the training or occupational barriers facing civilian women.Bureau of Naval Personnelhttp://archive.org/details/postmilitaryearn00mehaN0002293WRRD008Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited