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Estimating Returns to Schooling When Schooling is Misreported

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Author Info
Thomas J. Kane
Cecilia Elena Rouse
Douglas Staiger
Abstract

We propose a general method of moments technique to identify measurement error in self-reported and transcript-reported schooling using differences in wages, test scores, and other covariates to discern the relative verity of each measure. We also explore the implications of such reporting errors for both OLS and IV estimates of the returns to schooling. The results cast a new light on two common findings in the extensive literature on the returns to schooling: sheepskin effects' and the recent IV estimates, relying on natural experiments' to identify the payoff to schooling. First, respondents tend to self-report degree attainment much more accurately than they report educational attainment not corresponding with degree attainment. For instance, we estimate that more than 90 percent of those with associate's or bachelor's degrees accurately report degree attainment, while only slightly over half of those with 1 or 2 years of college credits accurately report their educational attainment. As a result, OLS estimates tend to understate returns per year of schooling and overstate degree effects. Second, because the measurement error in educational attainment is non-classical, IV estimates also tend to be biased, although the magnitude of the bias depends upon the nature of the measurement error in the region of educational attainment affected by the instrument.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7235.

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Date of creation: Jul 1999
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7235

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C1 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: General
I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education

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  15. Thomas J. Kane & Cecilia Rouse, 1993. "Labor Market Returns to Two- And Four-Year College: Is A Credit a Credit And Do Degrees Matter?," Working Papers 690, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
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  17. Freeman, Richard B, 1984. "Longitudinal Analyses of the Effects of Trade Unions," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(1), pages 1-26, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  18. David Card, 1993. "Using Geographic Variation in College Proximity to Estimate the Return to Schooling," Working Papers 696, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
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  19. Jin Huem Park, 1994. "Returns to Schooling: A Peculiar Deviation from Linearity," Working Papers 714, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
  20. Arthur Lewbel, 1997. "Constructing Instruments for Regressions with Measurement Error when no Additional Data are Available, with an Application to Patents and R&D," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 65(5), pages 1201-1214, September.
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Patrinos, Harry Anthony & Sakellariou, Chris, 2004. "Schooling and labor market impacts of a natural policy experiment," Policy Research Working Paper Series 3460, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Xiaohong Chen & Yingyao Hu & Arthur Lewbel, 2007. "Nonparametric Identification of Regression Models Containing a Misclassified Dichotomous Regressor Without Instruments," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 675, Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Flores-Lagunes, Alfonso & Light, Audrey, 2009. "Interpreting Degree Effects in the Returns to Education," IZA Discussion Papers 4169, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  4. Arthur Lewbel, 2004. "Estimation of Average Treatment Effects With Misclassification," Econometric Society 2004 North American Winter Meetings 210, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Yingyao Hu & Arthur Lewbel, 2008. "Identifying the returns to lying when the truth is unobserved," CeMMAP working papers CWP06/08, Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Yingyao Hu & Geert Ridder, 2005. "Estimation of Nonlinear Models with Mismeasured Regressors Using Marginal Information," IEPR Working Papers 05.39, Institute of Economic Policy Research (IEPR). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Emek Basker, 2003. "Job Creation or Destruction? Labor-Market Effects of Wal-Mart Expansion," Labor and Demography 0303002, EconWPA, revised 11 Mar 2005. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Steven Haider & Gary Solon, 2006. "Life-Cycle Variation in the Association between Current and Lifetime Earnings," NBER Working Papers 11943, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  9. Emek Basker, 2004. "Selling a Cheaper Mousetrap: Wal-Marts Effect on Retail Prices," Working Papers 0401, Department of Economics, University of Missouri, revised 16 Mar 2004. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Olivier Deschenes, 2002. "Estimating the Effects of Family Background on the Return to Schooling," University of California at Santa Barbara, Economics Working Paper Series 10-02, Department of Economics, UC Santa Barbara. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Richard Blundell & Lorraine Dearden & Barbara Sianesi, 2003. "Evaluating the impact of education on earnings in the UK: Models, methods and results from the NCDS," IFS Working Papers W03/20, Institute for Fiscal Studies. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Fitzenberger, Bernd & Osikominu, Aderonke & Völter, Robert, 2005. "Imputation Rules to Improve the Education Variable in the IAB Employment Subsample," ZEW Discussion Papers 05-10, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Geert Ridder & Yingyao Hu, 2004. "Estimation of Nonlinear Models with Measurement Error Using Marginal Information," Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings 21, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
  14. Gunnar Isacsson, 2004. "Estimating the economic return to educational levels using data on twins," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(1), pages 99-119. [Downloadable!]
  15. Joop Hartog & Aslan Zorlu, 2009. "How important is homeland education for refugees’ economic position in The Netherlands?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 219-246, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Jesse Bricker & Gary V. Engelhardt, 2007. "Measurement Error in Earnings Data in the Health and Retirement Study," Working Papers, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College wp2007-16, Center for Retirement Research, revised Oct 2007. [Downloadable!]
  17. Molinari, Francesca, 2005. "Partial Identification of Probability Distributions with Misclassified Data," Working Papers 05-10, Cornell University, Center for Analytic Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  18. Lisa Barrow & Cecilia Elena Rouse, 2005. "Do returns to schooling differ by race and ethnicity?," Working Paper Series WP-05-02, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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