Labour Markets, Human Resources and Social Policy
Microeconometric Methods for the Estimation of Heterogeneous Returns to Schooling
Conventional empirical studies on the returns to schooling assume that
the return for an additional year of schooling is the same across individuals. In
this project we relaxed this assumption by developing and applying new
microeconometric methods that account for heterogeneous returns to schooling
and identify the causal effects of schooling. Policy measures that change the
individual´s cost of schooling lead to a change in the composition of individuals
who invest in schooling. Hence we developed microeconometric tools to identify
the causal effects of these policy measures. According to our studies the
average returns to education is 6 percent in Germany, with a slightly
increasing tendency in recent years. The project was part of the DFG research group on Heterogeneous Labour:
Positive and Normative Aspects of the Skill Structure of Labor a cooperation of
the University of Konstanz and the ZEW Mannheim. Three students finished their
PhD thesis in the project (Anton Flossmann, Markus Jochmann, Michael Maier).
Duration: 01.05.2002 - 30.06.2008
- Prof. Dr. Luc Bauwens, Université Catholique Louvain
- Prof. Dr. Michael Lechner, Universität St. Gallen, CH
- Prof. Jörn-Steffen Pischke, Ph.D., London School of Economics
Eisenhauer, Philipp and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2008), Assessing Intergenerational Earnings Persistence Among German Workers, Journal of Labour Market Research 2&3, 119-137.
Göggel, Kathrin, Johannes Gräb and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2007), Selbständigkeit in Europa 1991 - 2003: Empirische Evidenz mit Länderdaten, Journal of Economics and Statistics 227/2, 153-167.
Gernandt, Johannes and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2007), Rising Wage Inequality in Germany, Journal of Economics and Statistics 227 (4), 358-380.
Ludwig, Volker and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2006), Abschreibungsraten allgemeiner und beruflicher Ausbildungsinhalte. Empirische Evidenz auf Basis subjektiver Einschätzungen, Journal of Economics and Statistics 226 (3), 260-284.
Pfeiffer, Friedhelm and Henrik Winterhager (2006), Selektivität und direkte Wirkungen von Vermittlungsgutscheinen: Empirische Befunde aus der Einführungsphase, Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik 7 (3) , 399-419.
Flossmann, Anton and Winfried Pohlmeier (2006), Causal Returns to education: A Survey on Empirical Evidence for Germany, Jahrbücher für Nationalökonomie und Statistik 226 (1), 6-23.
Pfeiffer, Friedhelm and Henrik Winterhager (2006), Vermittlungsgutscheine und Beauftragungen Dritter im Vergleich, Journal for Labour Market Research 39 (3&4), 425-445.
Pfeiffer, Friedhelm and Karsten Reuß (2008), Fähigkeiten und Mobilität – Ökonomische Konsequenzen für das Humankapital in Ostdeutschland, in: K. Friedrich und A. Schultz, Brain drain oder brain circulation? Konsequenzen und Perspektiven der Ost-West-Migration, forum ifl Bd. 8, 43-50.
Jochmann, M. and W. Pohlmeier (2004), Der kausale Effekt von Bildungsinvestitionen, in: W. Franz, H. J. Ramser, M. Stadler (Hrsg.), Bildung, Schriftenreihe des wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Seminars Ottobeuren, Tübingen.
Maier, M., Friedhelm Pfeiffer and W. Pohlmeier (2003), Overeducation and Individual Heterogeneity, in: F. Büchel, A. de Grip, A. Mertens (Hrsg.), Overeducation in Europe, Cheltenham, 133-152.
Jochmann, M. and W. Pohlmeier (2003), The Causal Effect of Overqualification on Earnings: Evidence from a Bayesian Approach, in: F. Büchel, A. de Grip, A. Mertens (Hrsg.), Overeducation in Europe, Cheltenham, 93-108.
Gernandt, Johannes and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2008), Wage Convergence and Inequality after Unification: (East) Germany in Transition, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 08-022, Mannheim. Download
Gebel, Michael and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2007), Educational Expansion and its Heterogeneous Returns for Wage Workers, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 07-010, Mannheim. Download
Aldashev, Alisher, Johannes Gernandt and Stephan L. Thomsen (2007), Language Usage, Participation, Employment and Earnings, FEMM Working Paper No. 18, Magdeburg. Download
Gernandt, Johannes, Michael Maier, Friedhelm Pfeiffer and Julie Rat-Wirtzler (2006), Distributional Effects of the High School Degree in Germany, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 06-088, Mannheim. Download
Gernandt, Johannes and Friedhelm Pfeiffer (2006), Rising Wage Inequality in Germany, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 06-019, Mannheim. Download
Maier, M. and A. Kuckulenz (2005), Heterogeneous Returns to Training. An Analysis with German Data Using Local Instrumental Variables, unveröffentlichtes Diskussionspapier, ZEW.
Jochmann, M. (2003), Semiparametric Bayesian Inference for Count Data Treatment Models, unveröffentlichtes Diskussionspapier, Universität Konstanz.
