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Historical education levels and present-day non-cognitive skills

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  • Eiji Yamamura

Abstract

I examined the extent to which education levels in the 19th century have shaped current norms, which influence individuals’ present-day non-cognitive skills and perceptions of life. Cross-country, individual-level data were compared with each country’s average years of schooling in 1870. After controlling for various country-level and individual characteristics, the key findings were as follows: (1) people in countries with high historical education levels place importance on hard work, ambition, and education; (2) people in countries with high historical education levels tend to show perseverance and have a sense of responsibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Eiji Yamamura, 2016. "Historical education levels and present-day non-cognitive skills," EERI Research Paper Series EERI RP 2016/13, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.
    • Handle: RePEc:eei:rpaper:eeri_rp_2016_13
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Historical education level; norms; non-cognitive skills.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
    • N30 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - General, International, or Comparative

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