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The causal effect of early tracking in German schools on the intergenerational transmission of education

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  • Dominique Sulzmaier

Abstract

Numerous studies have found a high intergenerational transmission of education in Germany which might be caused by the relatively early age at which the German school system tracks students into differentschool types. This study contributes to the scarce literatureontheeffectofachangeintheageoftrackingearlyintheschoolingcareeronthe intergenerational transmission of education and reveals new evidence on the heterogeneity of the effect. The identi?cation strategy exploits a recent reform in one German state, whichchangedthetimeoftrackingfromaftergradesixtoaftergradefour.Theresultsof adifference-in-differencesapproachwithdatafromtheGermanMicrocensussuggestthat earlier tracking increases intergenerational transmission of both, low and high education. Male students and students in rural areas appear to drive the effect.

Suggested Citation

  • Dominique Sulzmaier, 2020. "The causal effect of early tracking in German schools on the intergenerational transmission of education," Working Papers 187, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    • Handle: RePEc:bav:wpaper:187_sulzmaier
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    File URL: http://www.bgpe.de/texte/DP/187_Sulzmaier.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Maria Zumbuehl & Nihal Chehber & Rik Dillingh, 2022. "Can skill differences explain the gap in the track recommendation by socio-economic status?," CPB Discussion Paper 439, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    intergenerationaltransmissionofeducation; tracking; schoolattainment; Germany; difference-in-differences;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • C54 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Quantitative Policy Modeling

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