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The Knowledge Lift: The Swedish Adult Education Program that Aimed to Eliminate Low Worker Skill Levels

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Abstract

The Swedish adult education program known as the Knowledge Lift is unprecedented in its size and scope, aiming to raise the skill level of all low-skilled workers towards the medium level. This paper evaluates the effects of program participation on individual labor market outcomes, notably employment and annual income, as well as on the labor market equilibrium. For the effects at the individual level, we apply fixed effect methods allowing for treatment effect heterogeneity. The data are based on a number of matched longitudinal administrative data sets covering the full population of Sweden. For the equilibrium effects, we analyze an equilibrium search model with heterogeneous worker skills. This model is calibrated using pre-program observations.

Suggested Citation

  • James Albrecht (Georgetown University), Gerard J. van den Berg (Free University Amsterdam), and Susan Vroman (Georgetown University), 2005. "The Knowledge Lift: The Swedish Adult Education Program that Aimed to Eliminate Low Worker Skill Levels," Working Papers gueconwpa~05-05-08, Georgetown University, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:geo:guwopa:gueconwpa~05-05-08
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    returns to education; training; program evaluation; wages; participation; unemployment; schooling; Swedish labor market; selectivity bias; treatment effect.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy

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