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PhD Graduates with Post‐doctoral Qualification in the Private Sector: Does It Pay Off?

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  • Isabelle Recotillet

Abstract

. In this paper, we address the question of the early careers of French PhD graduates in science and engineering sciences in 1996. Post‐doctoral training was initially developed for PhD graduates wishing to embark on a career in the public sector. However, a large proportion of post‐doctorate graduates turn to the private sector, and in particular to occupations that do not involve research. The question we raise is that of the wage premium on post‐doctoral training. To control for selection bias arising in the case where unobservable elements are correlated between participation and wages, we first estimate a treatment effect model. The main finding is that when selection bias is not controlled for, post‐doctoral participation increases earnings; however, when selection bias is controlled for, the participation in a post‐doctoral programme has no positive effect. With regards to this finding we show that post‐doctoral programmes play much more the role of a signal in the first stage of a career. This finding is also reinforced when we use a bivariate selection rule to control for the endogenous nature of having been recruited in the private sector.

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  • Isabelle Recotillet, 2007. "PhD Graduates with Post‐doctoral Qualification in the Private Sector: Does It Pay Off?," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 21(3), pages 473-502, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:labour:v:21:y:2007:i:3:p:473-502
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9914.2007.00385.x
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    1. Paul M. Romer, 2001. "Should the Government Subsidize Supply or Demand in the Market for Scientists and Engineers?," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 1, pages 221-252, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Lynne G. Zucker & Michael R. Darby & Maximo Torero, 2002. "Labor Mobility from Academe to Commerce," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(3), pages 629-660, July.
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    1. Marc van der Steeg & Karen van der Wiel & Bram Wouterse, 2014. "Individual Returns to a PhD Education in the Netherlands: Income Differences between Masters and PhDs," CPB Discussion Paper 276, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    2. Bastien Bernela, 2015. "Professional and geographical paths: the study of three generations of PhDs [Trajectoires professionnelles et géographiques : l'étude de trois générations de docteurs]," Working Papers halshs-01085008, HAL.
    3. Lu, Xiao & McInerney, Paul-Brian, 2016. "Is it better to “Stand on Two Boats” or “Sit on the Chinese Lap”?: Examining the cultural contingency of network structures in the contemporary Chinese academic labor market," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(10), pages 2125-2137.
    4. Marc van der Steeg & Karen van der Wiel & Bram Wouterse, 2014. "Individual Returns to a PhD Education in the Netherlands: Income Differences between Masters and PhDs," CPB Discussion Paper 276.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    5. Cathy Perret, 2008. "Mobilités internationales des diplômés de l'enseignement supérieur français en phase d'insertion professionnelle : effets sur leurs débuts de carrière lors de leur retour en France," Post-Print halshs-00294949, HAL.
    6. Karen L. Webber & Manuel González Canché, 2018. "Is There a Gendered Path to Tenure? A Multi-State Approach to Examine the Academic Trajectories of U.S. Doctoral Recipients in the Sciences," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 59(7), pages 897-932, November.
    7. Agustí Segarra & Mercedes Teruel & Miquel Angel Bove, 2014. "A territorial approach to R&D subsidies: Empirical evidence for Catalonian firms," Working Papers XREAP2014-07, Xarxa de Referència en Economia Aplicada (XREAP), revised Sep 2014.
    8. Antonio Di Paolo & Ferran Mañé, 2014. "Are we wasting our talent? Overqualification and overskilling among PhD graduates," Working Papers XREAP2014-06, Xarxa de Referència en Economia Aplicada (XREAP), revised Jun 2014.
    9. Herrera, Liliana & Nieto, Mariano, 2016. "PhD careers in Spanish industry: Job determinants in manufacturing versus non-manufacturing firms," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 113(PB), pages 341-351.
    10. Eric S. Lin & Shih-Yung Chiu, 2016. "Does Holding a Postdoctoral Position Bring Benefits for Advancing to Academia?," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 57(3), pages 335-362, May.
    11. Liliane Bonnal & Jean-Francois Giret, 2010. "Determinants of access to academic careers in France," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(5), pages 437-458.
    12. Hayter, Christopher S. & Parker, Marla A., 2019. "Factors that influence the transition of university postdocs to non-academic scientific careers: An exploratory study," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 556-570.
    13. Claire Bonnard, 2012. "The Access of the Young Graduates in Sciences into R&D Profession: A Switching Model Treatment for the French Case," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 26(1), pages 46-65, March.
    14. Claire Bonnard, 2012. "The Access of the Young Graduates in Sciences into RD Profession: A Switching Model Treatment for the French Case," Post-Print halshs-00671315, HAL.

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