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Signal-extracting education in an overlapping generations model

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  • Koichi Futagami
  • Shingo Ishiguro

Abstract

In order to get good positions in companies, people try to enter highly-ranked universities. However, abilities vary greatly between individuals. High-ability individuals have an incentive to send signals to firms by obtaining a higher level of education in order to distinguish themselves from low-ability individuals. This paper constructs an overlapping generations model in order to examine the macroeconomic consequences of such sorting behavior of individuals. There are two kinds of possible equilibria in our model. In one equilibrium, only the high-ability agent can obtain higher education and thus an elite society emerges. In the other equilibrium, all ability types have the chance to obtain higher education and thus a society with mass higher education emerges. We also discuss the possibility of multiple equilibria of these different steady states and the dynamic change in wage differentials. Copyright Springer-Verlag Berlin/Heidelberg 2004

Suggested Citation

  • Koichi Futagami & Shingo Ishiguro, 2004. "Signal-extracting education in an overlapping generations model," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 24(1), pages 129-146, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecth:v:24:y:2004:i:1:p:129-146
    DOI: 10.1007/s00199-003-0419-7
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Masashi Tanaka, 2020. "Human capital investment, credentialing, and wage differentials," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 22(4), pages 992-1016, August.
    2. Takaaki Morimoto, 2018. "Occupational choice and entrepreneurship: effects of R&D subsidies on economic growth," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 123(2), pages 161-185, March.
    3. Guha Brishti & Guha Ashok S, 2008. "Target Saving in an Overlapping Generations Model," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Masashi Tanaka, 2013. "Human capital investment, Signaling, and Wage differentials," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 13-31, Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics.
    5. Bergh, Andreas & Fink, Günther, 2005. "Escaping Mass Education – Why Harvard Pays," Working Papers 2005:2, Lund University, Department of Economics.
    6. Pei-Ju Liao & Ping Wang & Yin-Chi Wang & Chong K. Yip, 2022. "Educational choice, rural–urban migration and economic development," Economic Theory, Springer;Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET), vol. 74(1), pages 1-67, July.
    7. Masashi Tanaka, 2013. "Human Capital Investment, Credentialing, and Wage Differentials," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 13-31-Rev., Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics, revised Aug 2017.

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