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Returns to Education and Individual Heterogeneity

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  • Pohlmeier, Winfried
  • Pfeiffer, Friedhelm
  • Maier, Michael

Abstract

In this paper, human capital investments are evaluated by assuming heterogeneous returns to education. We use the potential outcome approach to measure the causal effect of human capital investments on earnings as a continuous treatment effect. Empirical evidence is based on a sample of West German full-time employed males from the ?BIBB/IAB-Strukturerhebung 1998/99.? Our estimate of the average treatment effect of an additional year of schooling (ATE) amounts to 8.7%, which is quite similar to conventional instrumental variable estimates.

Suggested Citation

  • Pohlmeier, Winfried & Pfeiffer, Friedhelm & Maier, Michael, 2004. "Returns to Education and Individual Heterogeneity," ZEW Discussion Papers 04-34, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:1860
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    7. James Heckman & Edward Vytlacil, 1998. "Instrumental Variables Methods for the Correlated Random Coefficient Model: Estimating the Average Rate of Return to Schooling When the Return is Correlated with Schooling," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 33(4), pages 974-987.
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    Cited by:

    1. Flossmann Anton L. & Pohlmeier Winfried, 2006. "Causal Returns to Education: A Survey on Empirical Evidence for Germany," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 226(1), pages 6-23, February.
    2. Timmermann, Dieter, 2010. "Alternativen der Hochschulfinanzierung," Arbeitspapiere 211, Hans-Böckler-Stiftung, Düsseldorf.
    3. Meir Russ, 2017. "The Trifurcation of the Labor Markets in the Networked, Knowledge-Driven, Global Economy," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 8(2), pages 672-703, June.
    4. Oliver Fabel & Razvan Pascalau, 2007. "Recruitment of Overeducated Personnel: Insider-Outsider Effects on Fair Employee Selection Practices," TWI Research Paper Series 18, Thurgauer Wirtschaftsinstitut, Universität Konstanz.
    5. Santiago Budria, 2010. "Schooling and the distribution of wages in the European private and public sectors," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(8), pages 1045-1054.

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