Where do STEM graduates stem from? The intergenerational transmission of comparative skill advantages
The standard economic model of occupational choice following a basic Roy model emphasizes individual selection and comparative advantage, but the sources of comparative advantage are not well understood. We employ a unique combination of Dutch survey and registry data that links math and language skills across generations and permits analysis of the intergenerational transmission of comparative skill advantages. Exploiting within-family between-subject variation in skills, we show that comparative advantages in math of parents are significantly linked to those of their children. A causal interpretation follows from a novel IV estimation that isolates variation in parent skill advantages due to their teacher and classroom peer quality. Finally, we show the strong influence of family skill transmission on children's choices of STEM fields.
Year of publication: |
2023
|
---|---|
Authors: | Hanushek, Eric Alan ; Jacobs, Babs ; Schwerdt, Guido ; van der Velden, Rolf ; Vermeulen, Stan ; Wiederhold, Simon |
Publisher: |
Halle (Saale) : Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) |
Subject: | causality | intergenerational mobility | parent-child skill transmission | STEM |
Saved in:
freely available
Series: | IWH Discussion Papers ; 13/2023 |
---|---|
Type of publication: | Book / Working Paper |
Type of publication (narrower categories): | Working Paper |
Language: | English |
Other identifiers: | 1847013961 [GVK] hdl:10419/271201 [Handle] RePEc:zbw:iwhdps:132023 [RePEc] |
Classification: | i24 ; i26 ; J12 - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure ; J24 - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; J62 - Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility |
Source: |
Persistent link: https://www.econbiz.de/10014283994