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Education reform and labor market outcomes: The case of Argentina’s Ley Federal de Educación

Author

Listed:
  • María Laura Alzúa

    (CEDLAS-UNLP and CONICET)

  • Leonardo Gasparini

    (CEDLAS-UNLP and CONICET)

  • Francisco Haimovich

    (CEDLAS-UNLP and UCLA)

Abstract

In the nineties Argentina implemented a large education reform (Ley Federal de Educación – LFE) that mainly implied the extension of compulsory education in two additional years. The timing in the implementation substantially varied across provinces, providing a source of identification for unraveling the causal effect of the reform. The estimations from difference-in-difference models suggest that the LFE had a positive impact on years of education and the probability of high school graduation. The impact on labor market outcomes —employment, hours of work and wages— was positive for the non-poor youths, but almost null for the poor.

Suggested Citation

  • María Laura Alzúa & Leonardo Gasparini & Francisco Haimovich, 2015. "Education reform and labor market outcomes: The case of Argentina’s Ley Federal de Educación," Journal of Applied Economics, Universidad del CEMA, vol. 18, pages 21-44, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:cem:jaecon:v:18:y:2015:n:1:p:21-44
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Cruces, Guillermo & Glüzmann, Pablo & Calva, Luis Felipe López, 2012. "Economic Crises, Maternal and Infant Mortality, Low Birth Weight and Enrollment Rates: Evidence from Argentina’s Downturns," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 303-314.
    2. Facundo Quiroga‐Martínez & Esteban Fernández‐Vázquez, 2021. "Education as a key to reduce spatial inequalities and informality in Argentinean regional labour markets," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 177-189, February.
    3. María Laura Alzúa & Cecilia Velázquez, 2017. "The effect of education on teenage fertility: causal evidence for Argentina," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-23, December.
    4. María Edo & Mariana Marchionni & Santiago Garganta, 2015. "Conditional Cash Transfer Programs and Enforcement of Compulsory Education Laws. The case of Asignación Universal por Hijo in Argentina," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0190, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    5. Gregory Clark & Christian Alexander Abildgaard Nielsen, 2024. "The Returns to Education: A Meta-study," Working Papers 0249, European Historical Economics Society (EHES).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    education; reform; Argentina; employment; wages; poverty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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