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The intergenerational effects of parental higher education: Evidence from changes in university accessibility

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  • Suhonen, Tuomo
  • Karhunen, Hannu

Abstract

We examine the causal effect of parental higher education on their offspring’s education, using quasi-experimental variation from the significant regional convergence in parents’ access to university occurring in Finland between 1955 and 1975, which was advanced by political decisions to expand the university system to all parts of the country. Our differences-in-differences estimates suggest that, for the children of parents affected by the changes in university accessibility, there is a strong positive intergenerational relationship in higher education attainment. We explore the potential mechanisms behind the intergenerational effects and find that, due to assortative mating, the effect of a mother’s higher education may be greatly overstated if estimated separately from that of a father’s higher education.

Suggested Citation

  • Suhonen, Tuomo & Karhunen, Hannu, 2017. "The intergenerational effects of parental higher education: Evidence from changes in university accessibility," Working Papers 100, VATT Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:fer:wpaper:100
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    2. Damian Clarke & Kathya Tapia-Schythe, 2021. "Implementing the panel event study," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 21(4), pages 853-884, December.
    3. Philippe Aghion & Ufuk Akcigit & Ari Hyytinen & Otto Toivanen, 2023. "2022 Klein Lecture Parental Education And Invention: The Finnish Enigma," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 64(2), pages 453-490, May.
    4. Bautista, María Angélica & Gonzalez, Felipe & Martinez, Luis R. & Muñoz, Pablo & Prem, Mounu, 2022. "The Intergenerational Transmission of College: Evidence from the 1973 Coup in Chile," SocArXiv eyw2a, Center for Open Science.
    5. Rohde, Nicholas & Trivedi, Pravin & Tang, K.K. & Rao, Prasada, 2023. "Cognitive and non-cognitive traits and the intergenerational transmission of socioeconomic inequality," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    6. Dong, Xiaoqi & Liang, Yinhe & Yu, Shuang, 2023. "Middle-achieving students are also my peers: The impact of peer effort on academic performance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Chise Diana & Fort Margherita & Monfardini Chiara, 2021. "On the Intergenerational Transmission of STEM Education among Graduate Students," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 21(1), pages 115-145, January.
    8. Hasan,Amer & Nakajima,Nozomi & Rangel,Marcos A., 2020. "Mama Knows (and Does) Best : Maternal Schooling Opportunities and Child Development in Indonesia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9355, The World Bank.
    9. Adamecz-Völgyi, Anna & Henderson, Morag & Shure, Nikki, 2020. "Is ‘first in family’ a good indicator for widening university participation?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    10. Bautista, María Angélica & González, Felipe & Martinez, Luis R. & Muñoz, Pablo & Prem, Mounu, 2020. "Dictatorship, Higher Education, and Social Mobility," SocArXiv 6st9r, Center for Open Science.
    11. Martin Nybom & Erik Plug & Bas van der Klaauw & Lennart Ziegler, 2022. "Skills, Parental Sorting, and Child Inequality," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-098/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    12. Bautista, María Angélica & González, Felipe & Martínez, Luis R. & Muñoz, Pablo & Prem, Mounu, 2023. "The intergenerational transmission of higher education: Evidence from the 1973 coup in Chile," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    13. Markus, Philipp, 2023. "Effects of access to universities on education and migration decisions," Ruhr Economic Papers 996, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    14. Louis N. Christofides & Michael Hoy & Joniada Milla & Thanasis Stengos, 2022. "Vietnam Era Fathers: The Intergenerational Transmission of Tertiary Education," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(3), pages 593-616, September.
    15. Flaviana Palmisano & Federico Biagi & Vito Peragine, 2022. "Inequality of Opportunity in Tertiary Education: Evidence from Europe," Research in Higher Education, Springer;Association for Institutional Research, vol. 63(3), pages 514-565, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    intergenerational transmission of education; higher education; university accessibility; Labour markets and education; I23; J62;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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