The value of postsecondary credentials in the labor market: an experimental study

David Deming, Noam Yuchtman, Amira Abulafi, Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: We study employers' perceptions of the value of postsecondary degrees using a field experiment. We randomly assign the sector and selectivity of institutions to fictitious resumes and apply to real vacancy postings for business and health jobs on a large online job board. We find that a business bachelor's degree from a for-profit online institution is 22 percent less likely to receive a callback than one from a nonselective public institution. In applications to health jobs, we find that for-profit credentials receive fewer callbacks unless the job requires an external quality indicator such as an occupational license.

JEL-codes: I2 I23 J24 J44 J63 M51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (78)

Published in American Economic Review, March, 2016, 106(3), pp. 778-806. ISSN: 0002-8282

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study (2016)
Working Paper: The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study (2016)
Working Paper: The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:91512

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