The effect of higher-achieving peers on major choices and labor market outcomes

Jan Feld and Ulf Zölitz

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 2022, vol. 196, issue C, 200-219

Abstract: This paper investigates how exposure to higher-achieving male and female peers in university affects students’ major choices and labor market outcomes. For identification of causal effects, we exploit the random assignment of students to university sections in compulsory first-year courses. We present two main results. First, studying with higher-achieving peers has no statistically significant or economically meaningful effects on educational choices. Second, we find suggestive evidence that women who have been exposed to higher- achieving male peers end up in jobs in which they are more satisfied.

Keywords: Gender; Major choice; Peer effects (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016726812200018X
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
Working Paper: The effect of higher-achieving peers on major choices and labor market outcomes (2021)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:196:y:2022:i:c:p:200-219

DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2022.01.012

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization is currently edited by Houser, D. and Puzzello, D.

More articles in Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().