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College Attainment, Income Inequality, and Economic Security: A Simulation Exercise

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  • Brad Hershbein
  • Melissa S. Kearney
  • Luke W. Pardue

Abstract

We conduct an empirical simulation exercise that gauges the plausible impact of increased rates of college attainment on a variety of measures of income inequality and economic insecurity. Using two different methodological approaches⁠—a distributional approach and a causal parameter approach⁠—we find that increased rates of BA and AA attainment would meaningfully increase economic security for lower income individuals and shrink gaps between the 90th percentile and lower percentiles. Increases in college attainment would not significantly reduce inequality at the very top of the distribution, as measured by the 99/90 earnings ratio.

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  • Brad Hershbein & Melissa S. Kearney & Luke W. Pardue, 2020. "College Attainment, Income Inequality, and Economic Security: A Simulation Exercise," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 110, pages 352-355, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:110:y:2020:p:352-55
    DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20201062
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Claudia Goldin & Robert A. Margo, 1992. "The Great Compression: The Wage Structure in the United States at Mid-Century," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(1), pages 1-34.
    2. Lawrence F. Katz & Kevin M. Murphy, 1992. "Changes in Relative Wages, 1963–1987: Supply and Demand Factors," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(1), pages 35-78.
    3. David Card & Thomas Lemieux, 2001. "Can Falling Supply Explain the Rising Return to College for Younger Men? A Cohort-Based Analysis," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 116(2), pages 705-746.
    4. Seth D. Zimmerman, 2014. "The Returns to College Admission for Academically Marginal Students," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 32(4), pages 711-754.
    5. David H. Autor & Lawrence F. Katz & Melissa S. Kearney, 2008. "Trends in U.S. Wage Inequality: Revising the Revisionists," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(2), pages 300-323, May.
    6. Mark Hoekstra, 2009. "The Effect of Attending the Flagship State University on Earnings: A Discontinuity-Based Approach," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(4), pages 717-724, November.
    7. Jeff Larrimore & Richard V. Burkhauser & Shuaizhang Feng & Laura Zayatz, 2008. "Consistent Cell Means for Topcoded Incomes in the Public Use March CPS (1976-2007)," NBER Working Papers 13941, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. David J. Deming & Christopher R. Walters, 2017. "The Impact of Price Caps and Spending Cuts on U.S. Postsecondary Attainment," NBER Working Papers 23736, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Brad J. Hershbein & Isabel McMullen & Brian Pittelko & Bridget Timmeney, 2021. "Beyond degrees: Longer term outcomes of the Kalamazoo Promise," Upjohn Working Papers 21-350, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    2. Wright, Nicholas A., 2021. "Need-based financing policies, college decision-making, and labor market behavior: Evidence from Jamaica," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Holzer, Harry J., 2021. "After COVID-19: Building a More Coherent and Effective Workforce Development System in the US," IZA Policy Papers 174, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Stefania Albanesi & Maria Jose Prados, 2022. "Slowing Women’s Labor Force Participation: The Role of Income Inequality," Working Papers 2022-037, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C63 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computational Techniques
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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