• Media type: Report; E-Book
  • Title: The effect of compulsory schooling on skills: Evidence from a reform in Germany
  • Contributor: Hampf, Franziska [Author]
  • Published: Munich: ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, 2019
  • Language: English
  • Keywords: C26 ; skills ; compulsory schooling reform ; I21 ; Returns to education ; PIAAC ; I24
  • Origination:
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  • Description: Based on high-quality skill data from PIAAC, this paper provides evidence on the effect of schooling on labor-market relevant cognitive skills. For identification, I exploit the staggered introduction of a compulsory ninth grade in basic track schools across German states, as well as a simultaneous reform that introduced short school years to harmonize the start of the school year nation-wide. Instrumental-variable results suggest that the additional year of compulsory schooling increased numeracy skills of basic-track students by about 0.2 standard deviations. Using superior skill data, the results contrast with previous evidence of zero skill effects of compulsory schooling in Germany.
  • Access State: Open Access