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The value of earning for learning: Performance bonuses in immigrant language training

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  • Åslund, Olof

    () (Uppsala Center for Labor Studies)

  • Engdahl, Mattias

    () (Uppsala Center for Labor Studies)

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    Abstract

    We study the effects of performance bonuses in immigrant language training for adults. A Swedish policy pilot conducted in 2009–2010 gave a randomly assigned group of municipalities the right to grant substantial cash bonuses to recently arrived migrants. The results suggest substantial effects on average student achievement. But these were fully driven by metropolitan areas; in other parts of Sweden performance was unaffected. The relative effects were larger for younger students but similar for men and women, and present for migrants from different parts of the world. The bonus had a less clear impact on enrollment, but there are indications that it may have increased the probability of progressing to bonus-awarding courses in metropolitan areas.

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    File URL: http://www.nek.uu.se/Pdf/20131ucls.pdf
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    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by Uppsala University, Department of Economics in its series Working Paper Series, Center for Labor Studies with number 2013:1.

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    Length: 52 pages
    Date of creation: 28 Jan 2013
    Date of revision:
    Handle: RePEc:hhs:uulswp:2013_001

    Contact details of provider:
    Postal: Department of Economics, Uppsala University, P. O. Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
    Phone: + 46 18 471 25 00
    Fax: + 46 18 471 14 78
    Email:
    Web page: http://www.nek.uu.se/
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    Related research

    Keywords: immigration; language training; performance bonus;

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