In observational studies, the estimation of a treatment effect on an outcome of interest is often done by controlling on a set of pre-treatment characteristics (covariates). This yields an unbiased estimator of the treatment effect when the assumption of unconfoundedness holds, that is, there...

We show that in sorting cross-sectional data, the endogeneity of a variable may be successfully detected by graphically examining the cumulative sum of the recursive residuals. An interesting case arises with a continuous or ordered (e.g., years of schooling) endogenous variable. Then, a...

We show that in sorting cross-sectional data, the endogeneity of a variable may be successfully detected by graphically examining the cumulative sum of the recursive residuals. Moreover, the sign of the bias implied by the endogeneity may be deducible through such graphs. In general,...

Training programs for the unemployed typically involve training specific skills in demand amongst employers. In 1997, Swedish unemployed could also choose general schooling at the upper secondary level. This offers a unique opportunity to assess the theoretically ambiguous long-term relative...

Most OECD countries experience high unemployment rates and declining growth in higher educational attainment. An often suggested government policy is therefore to allocate resources towards formal schooling for adults. However, returns on such investments are uncertain and the foregone earnings...

Most OECD countries experience high unemployment rates and declining growth in higher educational attainment. An often suggested government policy is therefore to allocate resources towards formal schooling for adults. However, returns on such investments are uncertain and the foregone earnings...