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The role of employers' beliefs in the evaluation of educational output

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  • Bailly, Franck

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to advance an alternative view of the educational output and the question of how to evaluate it. In contrast to the dominant tradition in the economics of education, we take the view that that output is what agents evaluate as such. We focus more specifically on an analysis of employers' beliefs and representations. Several tens of recruiters were interviewed. Analysis of these interviews shows that employers regard the qualities required at work as either 'learnable' or innate. These beliefs as to the origin of workers' qualities will shape employers' evaluations of employees' education, influence firms' organization as well as how labour markets operate.

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  • Bailly, Franck, 2008. "The role of employers' beliefs in the evaluation of educational output," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 959-968, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:soceco:v:37:y:2008:i:3:p:959-968
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    1. Ricardo Nogales & Pamela Córdova & Manuel Urquidi, 2020. "The impact of university reputation on employment opportunities: Experimental evidence from Bolivia," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 31(4), pages 524-542, December.
    2. Verena Rieger & Jana Wilken & Andreas Engelen, 2023. "Career Booster or Dead End? Entrepreneurial Failure and Its Consequences for Subsequent Corporate Careers," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 800-833, June.
    3. María José Portillo-Navarro & Gabriela Lagos-Rodríguez & María-Leticia Meseguer-Santamaría, 2022. "Employability of University Graduates with Disabilities in Spain," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Sloka Biruta & Kantāne Ināra & Buligina Ilze & Tora Ginta & Dzelme Juris & Buševica Regīna & Buligina Alise & Tora Pēteris, 2015. "Employers’ Needs and Expectations for Qualified Employees (Case Study on the Opinions in One of the Regions in Latvia)," Economics and Business, Sciendo, vol. 27(1), pages 69-75, August.
    5. Vladimir Shchegolev & Hermann Lassleben & Angelica Martinez, 2016. "Employment Opportunities and Barriers on the Russian and German Labor Market for International Graduates with Domestic Degrees," Business Perspectives and Research, , vol. 4(2), pages 93-110, July.

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