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General or Vocational Schooling? Evidence on School Choice, Returns, and 'Sheepskin' Effects from Egypt 1998

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  • Fatma El-Hamidi

Abstract

In general, vocational education does not lead to higher wages. However, in some countries, labor markets are characterized by employment growth and skill shortages. In these, vocational schooling has produced higher wages and returns on investment than general education. Using 1998 Egyptian household survey, the study adds evidence to the debate on relative benefits of vocational education and of general education at the secondary level. The findings suggest that providing general education to the workforce followed by on-the-job training would provide the most benefit.

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  • Fatma El-Hamidi, 2006. "General or Vocational Schooling? Evidence on School Choice, Returns, and 'Sheepskin' Effects from Egypt 1998," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 157-176.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jpolrf:v:9:y:2006:i:2:p:157-176
    DOI: 10.1080/13841280600772861
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    Cited by:

    1. May Gadallah & Maia Sieverding & Rania Roushdy, 2017. "The Effect of Mothers’ Employment on Youth Gender Role Attitudes: Evidence From Egypt," Working Papers 1125, Economic Research Forum, revised 08 Oct 2017.
    2. Todd Pugatch, 2014. "Safety valve or sinkhole? Vocational schooling in South Africa," IZA Journal of Labor & Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-31, December.
    3. Will Bartlett, 2009. "The Effectiveness Of Vocational Education In Promoting Equity And Occupational Mobility Amongst Young People," Economic Annals, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, vol. 54(180), pages 7-39, January –.
    4. Yu-chin Chen & Kwok Ping Tsang & Wen Jen Tsay, 2010. "Home Bias in Currency Forecasts," Working Papers 272010, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    5. Celeste K. Carruthers & Christopher Jepsen, 2020. "Vocational Education: An International Perspective," CESifo Working Paper Series 8718, CESifo.
    6. Kun Andras Istvan, 2014. "The Sheepskin Effect In The Hungarian Labour Market 2010-2012: Analysis Of Data From The Hungarian Graduate Tracking System," Annals of Faculty of Economics, University of Oradea, Faculty of Economics, vol. 1(1), pages 492-499, July.
    7. Mona Said, 2015. "Wages and Inequality in the Egyptian Labor Market in an Era of Financial Crisis and Revolution," Working Papers 912, Economic Research Forum, revised May 2015.
    8. Imelda Flores Vazquez, 2014. "Equilibrium unemployment in the presence of different skill levels in two different regions: Mexico versus Egypt," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 121-131, October.
    9. Squalli Jay, 2012. "Expected Returns to Education and Experience in the United Arab Emirates," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 8(2), pages 1-17, October.
    10. Padang Wicaksono & Lionel Priyadi, 2018. "Does Manufacturing Sophistication Lead to Higher Demand for Vocational Workers? Evidence from Indonesia," Economics and Finance in Indonesia, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Indonesia, vol. 64, pages 59-72, Juni.
    11. Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, 2009. "Education and Earnings in The Middle East: A Comparative Study of Returns To Schooling in Egypt, Iran, and Turkey," Working Papers 504, Economic Research Forum, revised Sep 2009.
    12. Mona Said & Fatma El-Hamidi, 2008. "Taking Technical Education Seriously in MENA: Determinants, Labor Market Implications and Policy Lessons," Working Papers 450, Economic Research Forum, revised 09 Jan 2008.
    13. Maia Sieverding, 2015. "Intergenerational Mobility in Women's Employment Outcomes in Egypt," Working Papers 978, Economic Research Forum, revised Dec 2015.
    14. Joshua Aizenman & Yothin Jinjarak & Nam Ngo & Ilan Noy, 2018. "Vocational Education, Manufacturing, and Income Distribution: International Evidence and Case Studies," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 29(3), pages 641-664, July.
    15. David Newhouse & Daniel Suryadarma, 2011. "The Value of Vocational Education: High School Type and Labor Market Outcomes in Indonesia," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 25(2), pages 296-322, May.
    16. Djavad Salehi-Isfahani & Insan Tunali & Ragui Assaad, 2009. "A Comparative Study Of Returns To Education Of Urban Men In Egypt, Iran, And Turkey," Middle East Development Journal (MEDJ), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 1(02), pages 145-187.
    17. Karina Mahirda & Heni Wahyuni, 2016. "Returning To General And Vocational High-Schools In Indonesia," Review of Economic and Business Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 18, pages 9-28, December.

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