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Over-education for the rich, under-education for the poor: A search-theoretic microfoundation

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  • Charlot, Olivier
  • Decreuse, Bruno

Abstract

This paper studies the efficiency of educational choices in a two sector/two schooling level matching model of the labor market where a continuum of heterogenous workers allocates itself between sectors depending on their decision to invest in education. Individuals differ in working ability and schooling cost, the search market is segmented by education, and there is free entry of new firms in each sector. Self-selection in education causes composition effects in the distribution of skills across sectors. This in turn modifies the intensity of job creation, implying the private and social returns to schooling always differ. Provided that ability and schooling cost are not too positively correlated, agents with large schooling costs -- the 'poor' -- underinvest in education, while there is overinvestment among the low schooling cost individuals -- the 'rich'. We also show that education should be more taxed than subsidized when the Hosios condition holds.

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  • Charlot, Olivier & Decreuse, Bruno, 2010. "Over-education for the rich, under-education for the poor: A search-theoretic microfoundation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 886-896, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:17:y:2010:i:6:p:886-896
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    Cited by:

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    2. Gavrel, Frédéric & Lebon, Isabelle & Rebière, Thérèse, 2016. "Formal education versus learning-by-doing: On the labor market efficiency of educational choices," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 545-562.
    3. Girsberger, Esther Mirjam & Meango, Romuald, 2022. "The Puzzle of Educated Unemployment in West Africa," IZA Discussion Papers 15721, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Christopher Flinn & Joseph Mullins, 2015. "Labor Market Search And Schooling Investment," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 56(2), pages 359-398, May.
    5. Mendolicchio, Concetta & Paolini, Dimitri & Pietra, Tito, 2012. "Investments in education and welfare in a two-sector, random matching economy," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(6), pages 367-385.
    6. Maurício Benegas & Márcio Veras Corrêa, 2017. "(Un)equal Educational Opportunities and the Labor Market: A Theoretical Analysis," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 31(4), pages 433-456, December.
    7. Thérèse REBIÈRE & Frédéric GAVREL & Isabelle LEBON, 2009. "Formal Education Versus Learning-by-doing," EcoMod2009 21500078, EcoMod.
    8. Patrizia Ordine & Giuseppe Rose, 2014. "Too Many Graduates? A Theory Of (Efficient) Educational Mismatch And Evidence From A Quasi-Natural Experiment," Working Papers 201409, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    9. Lin Zhang, 2019. "Substitutability in Human Capital Formation and Education Inequality," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(1), pages 55-63.
    10. Andrew Shephard & Modibo Sidibe, 2019. "Schooling Investment, Mismatch,and Wage Inequality," PIER Working Paper Archive 19-013, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    11. Obiols-Homs, F. & Sánchez-Marcos, V., 2018. "Education outcomes and the labor market," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 14-28.
    12. Patrizia Ordine & Giuseppe Rose, 2017. "Individual Mismatch and Aggregate Overeducation: Evidence from a Quasi-Natural Experiment," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 3(1), pages 1-23, March.
    13. David Boto-García & Marta Escalonilla, 2022. "University education, mismatched jobs: are there gender differences in the drivers of overeducation?," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(3), pages 861-902, October.
    14. Chassamboulli, Andri & Gomes, Pedro, 2023. "Public-sector employment, wages and education decisions," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    15. Darong Dai & Guoqiang Tian, 2020. "On the Efficiency of Wage-Setting Mechanisms with Search Frictions and Human Capital Investment," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 21(1), pages 1-40, May.
    16. Matteo Bobba & Luca Flabbi & Santiago Levy, 2022. "Labor Market Search, Informality, And Schooling Investments," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(1), pages 211-259, February.
    17. Stephanie de Mel, 2020. "A Job Worth Waiting for: Parental Wealth and Youth Unemployment in Ghana," IFS Working Papers W20/21, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    18. Yujing Xu, 2022. "Unobservable investments, trade efficiency and search frictions," Post-Print hal-03848827, HAL.
    19. Charlot, Olivier & Malherbet, Franck, 2013. "Education and employment protection," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 3-23.
    20. Thomas RUTHERFORD, 2009. "Stochastic Programming in a Complementarity Format: Tools and Sample Applications," EcoMod2009 21500079, EcoMod.
    21. Bas Jacobs, 2009. "Is Prescott right? Welfare state policies and the incentives to work, learn, and retire," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 16(2), pages 253-280, April.
    22. Francesc Obiols-Homs & Virginia Sánchez-Marcos, 2015. "Education, Occupation-Mismatch and Unemployment," Working Papers 807, Barcelona School of Economics.
    23. Garcia-Mainar, Inmaculada & Montuenga, Victor M., 2019. "The signalling role of over-education and qualifications mismatch," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 99-119.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ability Schooling cost Heterogeneity Matching frictions Efficiency;

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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