The Perceived (Signaling) Value of Higher Education
This paper explores students’ expectations about the returns to completing higher education and provides first evidence on perceived signaling and human capital effects. We elicit counterfactual labor market expectations for the hypothetical scenarios of leaving university with or without a degree certificate among a large and diverse sample of students at different stages of higher education. Our findings indicate substantial perceived returns to higher education. Moreover, by exploiting within-individual variation, we document sizeable expected labor market returns from signaling, whereas perceived productivity enhancing (human capital) returns seem to be less pronounced. Over the expected course of career, we find lasting education premia as well as evidence consistent with expected employer learning.
Date:
11 October 2022, 16:00 (Tuesday, 1st week, Michaelmas 2022)
Venue:
Manor Road Building, Manor Road OX1 3UQ
Venue Details:
Seminar Room A
Speaker:
Pia Pinger (University of Cologne)
Organising department:
Department of Economics
Part of:
Applied Microeconomics Seminar
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Melis Clark
