Heterogeneity in marginal non-monetary returns to higher education

Daniel A. Kamhöfer, Hendrik Schmitz and Matthias Westphal (matthias.westphal@tu-dortmund.de)

No 591, Ruhr Economic Papers from RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen

Abstract: In this paper we estimate the effects of college education on cognitive abilities and health exploiting exogenous variation in college availability and student loan regulations. By means of semiparametric local instrumental variables techniques we estimate marginal treatment effects in an environment of essential heterogeneity. The results suggest heterogeneous but always positive effects on cognitive skills and homogeneously positive effects for all health outcomes but mental health, where the effects are around zero throughout. We find that likely mechanisms of positive physical health returns are eff ects of college education on physically demanding activities on the job and health behavior such as smoking and drinking while mentally more demanding jobs might explain the skill returns.

Keywords: returns to higher education; cognitive abilities; health; marginal treatment effect (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C31 H52 I12 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Heterogeneity in Marginal Non-Monetary Returns to Higher Education (2019)
Working Paper: Heterogeneity in Marginal Nonmonetary Returns to Higher Education (2015)
Working Paper: Heterogeneity in Marginal Non-monetary Returns to Higher Education (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:rwirep:591

DOI: 10.4419/86788686

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