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Popularity

Author

Listed:
  • Pudney, Stephen
  • Conti, Gabriella
  • Galeotti, Andrea
  • Mueller, Gerrit

Abstract

What makes you popular among your high-school peers? And what are the labor market returns to popularity? We investigate these questions using an objective measure of popularity derived from sociometric theory: the number of friendship nom- inations received from schoolmates. We provide novel evidence that early family en- vironment, school composition and school size play a signicant role in determining popularity. We show that the estimated wage return to one additional nomination is about 2 percent the popularity premium. This amounts to roughly 40 percent of the return to one more year of education. A revised version of this paper is published in the Fall 2013 issue of the Journal of Human Resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Pudney, Stephen & Conti, Gabriella & Galeotti, Andrea & Mueller, Gerrit, 2009. "Popularity," ISER Working Paper Series 2009-03, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:ese:iserwp:2009-03
    as

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    File URL: https://www.iser.essex.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/files/working-papers/iser/2009-03.pdf
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    Other versions of this item:

    • Gabriella Conti & Andrea Galeotti & Gerrit Mueller & Stephen Pudney, 2012. "Popularity," NBER Working Papers 18475, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    1. Money, reputation and happiness
      by chris dillow in Stumbling and Mumbling on 2009-03-05 23:27:55

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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