Ulf Gerdtham
Professor
The Impact of Grade Inflation on Higher Education Enrolment and Earnings
Författare
Summary, in English
Although grade inflation is unfair and may imply inefficient allocation of human resources, current knowledge of grade inflation effects on individual outcomes is scarce. One explanation is probably the challenge of measuring and estimating causal grade inflation effects. This study examines the consequences of grade inflation at the upper secondary education level on enrolment in higher education and earnings for Sweden. Rigorous diagnostic testing supports our empirical approach. Grade inflation at the school level affects earnings mainly through choice of university and the chosen field of education, rather than through enrolment per se, because attending universities of higher quality and pursuing high-paying fields of education have a substantial impact on earnings. On the other hand, high-skilled students attending upper secondary schools without grade inflation and, unexpectedly, low-skilled women attending "lenient" schools are harmed by this. This causes extensive unfairness and, plausibly, detrimental welfare effects.
Avdelning/ar
- AgriFood Economics Centre, Ekonomihögskolan vid Lunds universitet
- Nationalekonomiska institutionen
- Hälsoekonomi
- EpiHealth: Epidemiology for Health
Publiceringsår
2019
Språk
Engelska
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Working Papers
Issue
2019:1
Länkar
Dokumenttyp
Working paper
Ämne
- Economics
Nyckelord
- Grade Inflation
- Upper-secondary Education
- Higher Education
- earnings
- I20
- I21
- J24
Status
Published
Forskningsgrupp
- Health Economics