A Structural Dynamic Analysis of Over-Education and Mismatch
Publication Date
1-1-2012
Grant Type
Early Career Research Award
Description
More than half of American and European workers have a level of education that does not match the level of education required for their job. A majority of these has more schooling than necessary to perform their job, and is deemed overeducated in the economics. A key motivation for this project is to go beyond stylized facts and understand the determinants and implications of over-education. The goal of this research is threefold. First, we will investigate the effect of educational mismatch on wages using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79). Second, we will attempt to disentangle the different mechanisms contributing to over-education. Quantifying the importance of job search inefficiencies, versus other factors such as unobserved ability, non-pecuniary job benefits or career mobility prospects is crucial from a policy viewpoint. The third objective of our analysis will be to consider gender, race and socioeconomic heterogeneity in the risk of overeducation
Grant Product
The Career Prospects of Overeducated Americans IZA Journal of Labor Economics 6(3)
The Career Prospects of Overeducated Americans National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 20167
The Career Prospects of Overeducated Americans Economic Research Initiatives at Duke Working Paper No. 176
The Career Prospects of Overeducated Americans
IZA Discussion Paper No. 8313, 2014