Structural Estimates of the Intergenerational Education Correlation

Jörgen Hansen and Christian Belzil

Working Papers from eSocialSciences

Abstract: Using a structural dynamic programming model, we investigate the relative importance of family background variables and individual specific abilities in explaining cross-sectional differences in schooling attainments and wages. Given scholastic ability, household background variables (especially parents' education) account for 68% of the explained cross- sectional variations in schooling attainments. When the effects of household background variables on ability are also taken into account, the percentage raises to 85%. However, individual differences in wages are mostly explained by abilities. Only 27% of the explained variation in wages is accounted for by parents’ background variables as opposed to 73% by unobserved abilities (orthogonal to family background variables). When scholastic ability is correlated with family background variables, ability endowments explain as much as 81% of individual wages. [Working Paper No. 973]

Keywords: intergenerational education correlation; endogenous schooling; household characteristics; dynamic programming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-lab
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Related works:
Working Paper: Structural Estimates of the Intergenerational Education Correlation (2003)
Working Paper: Structural Estimates of the Intergenerational Education Correlation (2003)
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