Where Do STEM Graduates Stem From? The Intergenerational Transmission of Comparative Skill Advantages

Eric A. Hanushek, Babs Jacobs, Guido Schwerdt, Rolf van der Velden, Stan Vermeulen, Simon Wiederhold

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

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Year of publication:	April 2023
Authors:	Hanushek, Eric Alan ; Jacobs, Babs ; Schwerdt, Guido ; Velden, Rolf van der ; Vermeulen, Stan ; Wiederhold, Simon
Institutions:	National Bureau of Economic Research (issuing body)
Publisher:	Cambridge, Mass : National Bureau of Economic Research
Subject:	Absolventen \| Graduates \| Naturwissenschaft \| Natural sciences \| Mathematik \| Mathematics \| Eltern \| Parents \| Qualifikation \| Occupational qualification \| Bildungsniveau \| Educational achievement \| Intergenerationale Übertragung \| Intergenerational transfer \| Kinder \| Children \| Schulbesuch \| School attendance \| Bildungsertrag \| Returns to education \| Schätzung \| Estimation \| Niederlande \| Netherlands

Extent:	1 Online-Ressource illustrations (black and white)
Series:	NBER working paper series ; no. w31186
Type of publication:	Book / Working Paper
Type of publication (narrower categories):	Arbeitspapier ; Working Paper ; Graue Literatur ; Non-commercial literature
Language:	English
Notes:	Hardcopy version available to institutional subscribers
Other identifiers:	10.3386/w31186 [DOI]
Classification:	i24 ; i26 ; J12 - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure ; J62 - Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility
Source:	ECONIS - Online Catalogue of the ZBW

Persistent link: https://ebvufind01.dmz1.zbw.eu/10014250203