Full Citation

Title: The Return to Education in the Mid-Twentieth Century: Evidence from Twins

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2020

ISBN:

ISSN: 0022-0507

DOI: 10.1017/S0022050720000492

NSFID:

PMCID:

PMID:

Abstract: What was the return to education in the United States at mid-century? In 1940, the correlation between years of schooling and earnings was relatively low. In this article, we estimate the causal return to schooling in 1940, constructing a large linked sample of twin brothers to account for differences in unobserved ability and family background. We find that each additional year of schooling increased labor earnings by approximately 4 percent, about half the return found for more recent cohorts in twins studies. These returns were evident both within and across occupations and were higher for sons from lower socio-economic status families.

Url: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/abs/return-to-education-in-the-midtwentieth-century-evidence-from-twins/B573442C8B2E2A2B781149F2F5C4EBEC

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Authors: Feigenbaum, James J.; Tan, Hui Ren

Periodical (Full): The Journal of Economic History

Issue: 4

Volume: 80

Pages: 1101-1142

Data Collections: IPUMS USA, IPUMS USA - Ancestry Full Count Data

Topics: Education, Labor Force and Occupational Structure

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