Ability Sorting and the Returns to College Major

Peter Arcidiacono

No 02-26, Working Papers from Duke University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Large earnings and ability differences exist across majors. This paper seeks to estimate the monetary returns to particular majors as well as find the causes of the ability sorting across majors. In order to accomplish this, I estimate a dynamic model of college and major choice. Even after controlling for selection, large earnings premiums exist for certain majors. Differences in monetary returns explain little of the ability sorting across majors; virtually all ability sorting is because of preferences for particular majors in college and the workplace, with the former being larger than the latter.

JEL-codes: C35 D83 I21 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.econ.duke.edu/Papers/Abstracts02/abstract.02.26.html main text

Related works:
Journal Article: Ability sorting and the returns to college major (2004)
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:duk:dukeec:02-26

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Working Papers from Duke University, Department of Economics Department of Economics Duke University 213 Social Sciences Building Box 90097 Durham, NC 27708-0097.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Department of Economics Webmaster (webmaster@econ.duke.edu).