Earnings Functions and Rates of Return

James Heckman, Lance Lochner and Petra Todd

No 20082, University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP) Working Papers from University of Western Ontario, Centre for Human Capital and Productivity (CHCP)

Abstract: The internal rate of return to schooling is a fundamental economic parameter that is often used to assess whether expenditure on education should be increased or decreased. This paper considers alternative approaches to estimating marginal internal rates of return for different schooling levels. We implement a general nonparametric approach to estimate marginal internal rates of return that take into account tuition costs, income taxes and nonlinearities in the earnings-schooling-experience relationship. The returns obtained by the more general method differ substantially from Mincer returns in levels and in their evolution over time. They indicate relatively larger returns to graduating from high school than from graduating from college, although both have been increasing over time.

JEL-codes: C31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (153)

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Journal Article: Earnings Functions and Rates of Return (2008)
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Working Paper: Earnings Functions and Rates of Return (2008)
Working Paper: EARNINGS FUNCTIONS AND RATES OF RETURN (2008)
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