Adolescents face daily tradeoffs between human capital investment, labor, and leisure. This paper exploits state variation in the repeal of Sunday closing laws to examine the impact of a distinct and plausibly exogenous rise in the quantity of competing diversions available to youth on their educational attainment. The results suggest that the…

Sons (daughters) with criminal fathers have 2.06 (2.66) times higher odds of having a criminal conviction than those with noncriminal fathers. One additional paternal sentence increases sons' (daughters') convictions by 32 (53) percent. Compared to traditional labor market measures, the intergenerational transmission of crime is lower than that…

Are highly educated workers better at locating in areas with high labor demand? To answer this question, I use three decades of U.S. Census data to estimate a McFadden-style model of residential location choice. I test for education differentials in the likelihood that young workers reside in states experiencing positive labor demand shocks at the…

This paper tests the hypothesis that education improves health and increases life expectancy. The analysis of smoking histories shows that after 1950, when information about the dangers of tobacco started to diffuse, the prevalence of smoking declined earlier and most dramatically for college graduates. I construct panels based on smoking…

This paper investigates the effect of gender differences and household bargaining on charitable giving. I replicate the study of Andreoni, Brown, and Rischall (2003) using a different data set--the recently available Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) supplement on charitable giving--and test the sensitivity of their results to inclusion of…

This paper assesses the effects of school desegregation on its intended beneficiaries: black students. In Louisiana, substantial reductions in segregation between 1965 and 1970 were accompanied by large increases in per-pupil funding, which allowed funding in integrated schools to be "leveled up" to the level previously experienced only…

Researchers often identify degree effects by including degree attainment ("D") and years of schooling ("S") in a wage model, yet the source of independent variation in these measures is not well understood. We argue that "S" is negatively correlated with ability among degree-holders because the most able graduate the…

This paper examines the effect of teenagers' outlooks--specified as their locus of control--on educational attainment and labor market outcomes. I replicate the study of Coleman and DeLeire (2003) and test the predictions of their theoretical model using a different data set--National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). The findings fail to…

Transcript data from the National Longitudinal Study confirmed economic returns for bachelor's degrees and found indirect returns for associate degrees and certificates. Those who enroll in but fail to complete postsecondary education have earnings comparable to high school graduates. Fundamental differences in labor markets for college graduates…

The D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program dramatically changed college prices for District of Columbia residents, allowing them to pay in-state tuition at public institutions around the country. Between 1998 and 2000, the number of D.C. residents attending public institutions in Virginia and Maryland more than doubled; when public institutions in…

Analysis of the younger cohort of the High School and Beyond study shows a positive effect on wages of first job when type of occupation is omitted. When type is included, nearly all effects on wages are associated with occupation and not with training or occupation related to training. (SK)

Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth--Mother and Children and Washington State Family Income studies showed that secondary dropouts, General Educational Development (GED) recipients, and secondary graduates cannot be distinguished by hours of work. All three groups earned the same in the Washington sample; in the other sample,…

Data on 2,600 children over 21 years were examined for high school graduation, years of schooling completed, teen childbearing, and neighborhood variables (household incomes, race, high school dropouts, female-headed families, unemployment rate). Although neighborhood characteristics may affect outcomes, reliability of estimates of their impact…

High School and Beyond data show that blacks are more likely to continue high school and attend college than whites with similar test scores. Black school leavers had far lower employment rates than comparable whites. Multinomial logit estimates suggest fewer job opportunities for blacks as a partial explanation. (SK)

In this study the demand for postsecondary education is tested for two age cohorts, recent high school graduates and older adults. Meanwhile, two postsecondary school alternatives, college or occupational school, are considered. Results indicate that older adults are responsive to many of the same economic variables that affect schooling decisions…