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Reaching for gold! The impact of a positive reputation shock on career choice

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  • Goller, Daniel
  • Wolter, Stefan C.

Abstract

We analyze the causal influence of a positive reputation shock for a particular occupation on career choice. In the unpredictable event that a person from one's own country wins a (gold) medal in a particular occupation at the World Championship of Vocational Skills (WorldSkills), searches for apprenticeship vacancies increased significantly by around 7 %. Most importantly, the increase in searches for apprenticeship vacancies in the current year has also led to a 2.5 % increase in the number of contracts signed in the winning occupation, and there are indications that these apprenticeships have a better match between employers and employees.

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  • Goller, Daniel & Wolter, Stefan C., 2025. "Reaching for gold! The impact of a positive reputation shock on career choice," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:175:y:2025:i:c:s0014292125000674
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2025.105017
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eggenberger, Christian & Janssen, Simon & Backes-Gellner, Uschi, 2022. "The value of specific skills under shock: High risks and high returns," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    2. Seth Gershenson & Cassandra M. D. Hart & Joshua Hyman & Constance A. Lindsay & Nicholas W. Papageorge, 2022. "The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 300-342, November.
    3. Goller, Daniel & Gschwendt, Christian & Wolter, Stefan C., 2023. "'This Time It's Different' - Generative Artificial Intelligence and Occupational Choice," IZA Discussion Papers 16638, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Guido W. Imbens & Jeffrey M. Wooldridge, 2009. "Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 47(1), pages 5-86, March.
    5. Daniel Goller & Stefan C. Wolter, 2021. "“Too shocked to search” The COVID-19 shutdowns’ impact on the search for apprenticeships," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 157(1), pages 1-15, December.
    6. Cattaneo, Maria A. & Wolter, Stefan C., 2022. "“Against all odds” Does awareness of the risk of failure matter for educational choices?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    7. Giorgio Di Pietro, 2018. "Do media play a role in promoting vocational education and training? The case of MasterChef," Policy Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 37-53, January.
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    9. Serena Canaan & Pierre Mouganie, 2023. "The Impact of Advisor Gender on Female Students’ STEM Enrollment and Persistence," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(2), pages 593-632.
    10. Donald E. Gibson, 2003. "Developing the Professional Self-Concept: Role Model Construals in Early, Middle, and Late Career Stages," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 14(5), pages 591-610, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Goller & Chiara Graf & Stefan C. Wolter, 2024. "The virtues of going virtual," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0224, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    2. Daniel Goller & Christian Gschwendt & Stefan C. Wolter, 2023. ""This time it's different" Generative Artificial Intelligence and Occupational Choice," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0209, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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