Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages

Eric Hanushek, Babs Jacobs, Guido Schwerdt (), Rolf Van der Velden (), Stan Vermeulen () and Simon Wiederhold ()
Additional contact information
Guido Schwerdt: University of Konstanz
Stan Vermeulen: Maastricht University

No 16117, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: The standard economic model of occupational choice following a basic Roy model emphasizes individual selection and comparative advantage, but the sources of comparative advantage are not well understood. We employ a unique combination of Dutch survey and registry data that links math and language skills across generations and permits analysis of the intergenerational transmission of comparative skill advantages. Exploiting within-family between-subject variation in skills, we show that comparative advantages in math of parents are significantly linked to those of their children. A causal interpretation follows from a novel IV estimation that isolates variation in parent skill advantages due to their teacher and classroom peer quality. Finally, we show the strong influence of family skill transmission on children's choices of STEM fields.

Keywords: parent-child skill transmission; intergenerational mobility; causality; STEM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I24 I26 J12 J24 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 75 pages
Date: 2023-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ltv
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Related works:
Working Paper: Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages (2023)
Working Paper: Where do STEM graduates stem from? The intergenerational transmission of comparative skill advantages (2023)
Working Paper: Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages (2021)
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