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A Second Chance? The Labor Market Outcomes of Reforming Access to Adult Education

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  • Patrick Bennett
  • Richard Blundell
  • Kjell G. Salvanes

Abstract

Developing effective tools to address prime-aged high school dropouts is a key policy question. We leverage high quality Norwegian register data to examine the labour market outcomes of expanding access to adult workers and exploit a large policy reform which greatly enabled access to high school education for adults. Our focus is on women and the results show a large and significant increase in education investments with a strong rise in the rate of college completion, leading to higher earnings, increased employment, and decreased fertility. They also point to an effective policy to reduce the gender earnings gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick Bennett & Richard Blundell & Kjell G. Salvanes, 2021. "A Second Chance? The Labor Market Outcomes of Reforming Access to Adult Education," CESifo Working Paper Series 9306, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_9306
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Richard Blundell, 2022. "Inequality, Redistribution and Wage Progression," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(S1), pages 160-177, June.
    2. Kirill Borusyak & Xavier Jaravel & Jann Spiess, 2024. "Revisiting Event-Study Designs: Robust and Efficient Estimation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 91(6), pages 3253-3285.
    3. Pedro Carneiro & Kjell Salvanes & Barton Willage & Alexander Willén, 2023. "Childhood Shocks Across Ages and Human Capital Formation," Working Papers 2023-018, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    4. Pedro Carneiro & Kjell G. Salvanes & Barton Willage & Alexander L.P. Willén, 2022. "The Timing of Parental Job Displacement, Child Development and Family Adjustment," CESifo Working Paper Series 9998, CESifo.
    5. Patrick Bennett, 2021. "The Work-To-School Transition: Job Displacement and Skill Upgrading among Young High School Dropouts," CESifo Working Paper Series 9417, CESifo.
    6. Patrick Bennett & Kai Liu & Kjell Salvanes, 2023. "The Decline of Routine Tasks, Education Investments, and Intergenerational Mobility," Upjohn Working Papers 23-382, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    7. Tilley, J. Lucas, 2023. "School resources, peer inputs, and student outcomes in adult education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    8. Karlsson, Linn, 2021. "Never too late? Returning to university after completing secondary education as adults," Umeå Economic Studies 1002, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    9. Kauhanen, Antti & Virtanen, Hanna, 2021. "Heterogeneity in Labor Market Returns to Adult Education," ETLA Working Papers 91, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    adult education; returns to education; fertility; gender inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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