TY - JOUR
T1 - Cognitive skills, noncognitive skills, and school-to-work transitions in rural China
AU - Glewwe, Paul
AU - Huang, Qiuqiong
AU - Park, Albert
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - Economists have long recognized the important role of formal schooling and cognitive skills on labor market participation and wages. More recently, increasing attention has turned to the role of personality traits, or noncognitive skills. This study is among the first to examine how both cognitive and noncognitive skills measured in childhood predict educational attainment and early labor market outcomes in a developing country setting. Analyzing longitudinal data on rural children from one of China's poorest provinces, we find that both cognitive and noncognitive skills, measured when children are 9–12, 13–16, and 17–21 years old, are important predictors of whether they remain in school or enter the work force at age 17–21. The predictive power of specific skill variables differ between boys and girls. Conditioning on years of schooling, there is no strong evidence that skills measured in childhood predict wages in the early years of labor market participation.
AB - Economists have long recognized the important role of formal schooling and cognitive skills on labor market participation and wages. More recently, increasing attention has turned to the role of personality traits, or noncognitive skills. This study is among the first to examine how both cognitive and noncognitive skills measured in childhood predict educational attainment and early labor market outcomes in a developing country setting. Analyzing longitudinal data on rural children from one of China's poorest provinces, we find that both cognitive and noncognitive skills, measured when children are 9–12, 13–16, and 17–21 years old, are important predictors of whether they remain in school or enter the work force at age 17–21. The predictive power of specific skill variables differ between boys and girls. Conditioning on years of schooling, there is no strong evidence that skills measured in childhood predict wages in the early years of labor market participation.
KW - Cognitive skills
KW - Noncognitive skills
KW - Rural China
KW - School-to-work transition
KW - Schooling
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.12.009
DO - 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.12.009
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85008157539
SN - 0167-2681
VL - 134
SP - 141
EP - 164
JO - Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
JF - Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization
ER -