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Performance of Young Adults: The Importance of Different Skills

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  • Torberg Falch
  • Ole Henning Nyhus
  • Bjarne Strøm

Abstract

This paper uses teacher assessments at age 16 in Norwegian comprehensive schools to measure different types of skills. While we follow the literature and interpret test scores in Mathematics and Science as proxy for cognitive skills, we use a novel measure for another type of skills: Performance in behavioral and practical subjects. Using individual register data, we find fairly strong and equal effects of the two types of skills on high school graduation probabilities. However, we find that “non-cognitive” skills has a much larger impact than “cognitive” skills on the probability to receive welfare benefits or being inactive (NEET) at age 22, while the findings are the opposite for the probability of college enrollment.

Suggested Citation

  • Torberg Falch & Ole Henning Nyhus & Bjarne Strøm, 2013. "Performance of Young Adults: The Importance of Different Skills," CESifo Working Paper Series 4124, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4124
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    Cited by:

    1. Eric Bettinger & Torbjørn Haegeland & Mari Rege, 2014. "Home with Mom: The Effects of Stay-at-Home Parents on Children's Long-Run Educational Outcomes," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(3), pages 443-467.
    2. Donna K. Ginther & Astrid L. Grasdal & Robert A. Pollak, 2019. "Fathers' Multiple-Partner Fertility and Children’s Educational Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 26242, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Sandsør, Astrid Marie Jorde, 2020. "Jack-of-all-subjects? The association between individual grade variance and educational attainment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Simon Søbstad Bensnes & Bjarne Strøm, 2015. "Earning or learning? The impact of relaxing shop opening hours restrictions on youth employment, education and earnings," Working Paper Series 16515, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
    5. Ose, Solveig Osborg & Jensen, Chris, 2017. "Youth outside the labour force — Perceived barriers by service providers and service users: A mixed method approach," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 148-156.
    6. Torberg Falch & Anna Cecilia Rapp, 2024. "Apprenticeship as Critical Transition in Vocational Education, the Role of Training Agencies," Working Paper Series 19824, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    skills; grades; high school graduation; NEET; welfare benefits;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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