Labor market returns to the GED using regression discontinuity analysis

Journal of Political Economy

Volumn 124, Issue 3, 2016, Pages 621-649

  Jepsen, Christopher ^a   Mueser, Peter ^b   Troske, Kenneth ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN   (Ireland)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

CERTIFICATION; EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT; EMPLOYMENT; INCOME; LABOR MARKET; REGRESSION ANALYSIS;

EID: 84969800774     PISSN: 00223808     EISSN: 1537534X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1086/686245     Document Type: Article

References (22)

1. Cameron, Steven V., and James J. Heckman. 1993. “The Nonequivalence of High School Equivalents.” J. Labor Econ. 11, no. 1, (January): 1-47.
2. Cellini, Stephanie R., Fernando Ferreira, and Jess Rothstein. 2010. “The Value of School Facility Investments: Evidence from a Dynamic Regression Discontinuity Design.” Q.J.E. 125 (1): 215-61.
3. Fuji, Daisuke, Guido Imbens, and Karthik Kalyanaraman. 2009. “Notes for Matlab and Stata Regression Discontinuity Software.” Manuscript, Dept. Econ., Harvard Univ. http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/imbens/files/rd_software_09aug4.pdf.
4. GED Testing Service. 2013. “The 2002 Series GED Test.” http://www.gedtestingservice.com/educators/current-testing-program.
5. Hahn, Jinyong, Petra Todd, and Wilbert van der Klaauw. 2001. “Identification and Estimation of Treatment Effects with a Regression-Discontinuity Design” Econometrica 69 (1): 201-9.
6. Heckman, James J., John Eric Humphries, and Tim Kautz. 2014. “The Economic and Social Benefits of GED Certification.” In The Myth of Achievement Tests, edited by James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, and Tim Kautz. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press.
7. Heckman, James J., John Eric Humphries, Paul A. LaFontaine, and Pedro L. Rodriguez. 2012. “Taking the Easy Way Out: How the GED Testing Program Induces Students to Drop Out.” J. Labor Econ. 30 (3): 495-520.
8. Heckman, James J., John Eric Humphries, and Nicholas S. Mader. 2011. “The GED.” In Handbook of the Economics of Education, vol. 3, edited by Eric A. Hanushek, Stephen Machin, and Ludger Woessmann. New York: North-Holland/Elsevier.
9. Heckman, James J., and Tim Kautz. 2014. “Achievement Tests and the Role of Character in American Life.” In The Myth of Achievement Tests, edited by James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, and Tim Kautz. Chicago: Univ. Chicago Press.
10. Imbens, Guido W., and Thomas Lemieux. 2008. “Regression Discontinuity Designs: A Guide to Practice.” J. Econometrics 142 (2): 615-35.
11. Jepsen, Christopher, Peter Mueser, and Kenneth Troske. 2015. “Second Chance for High School Dropouts? A Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Postsecondary Educational Returns to the General Educational Development Certification.” Working Paper no. WP2015/08, Geary Center, Univ. Coll. Dublin.
12. Lee, David S., and Thomas Lemieux. 2010. “Regression Discontinuity Designs in Economics.” J. Econ. Literature 48 (2): 281-355.
13. Lofstrom, Magnus, and John H. Tyler. 2008. “Modeling the Signaling Value of the GED with an Application to an Exogenous Passing Standard Increase in Texas.” Res. Labor Econ. 28:305-52.
14. Martorell, Paco, and Isaac McFarlin. 2011. “Help or Hindrance? The Effects of College Remediation on Academic and Labor-Market Outcomes.” Rev. Econ. and Statis. 93 (2): 436-54.
15. McCrary, Justin. 2008. “Manipulation of the Running Variable in the Regression Discontinuity Design: A Density Test.” J. Econometrics 142 (2): 698-714.
16. Murnane, Richard J., John B. Willett, and John H. Tyler. 2000. “Who Benefits from Obtaining a GED? Evidence from High School and Beyond.” Rev. Econ. and Statis. 82 (1): 23-37.
17. Pantal, Michel-Ange, Michael Podgursky, and Peter Mueser. 2006. “Retaking the ACT: The Effect of a State Merit Scholarship on Test-Taking, Enrollment, and Retention.” Paper prepared for the 23rd Annual Student Financial Aid Research Network Conference, Providence, RI, June 22-24.
18. Rubinstein, Yona. 2003. “The Use of Interstate Variation in GED Passing Standards for Estimating the Effect of a GED Degree on Labor-Market Outcomes of High School Dropouts—a Critique.” Manuscript, Brown Univ.
19. Tyler, John H. 2004. “Does G.E.D Improve Earnings? Estimates from a Sample of Both Successful and Unsuccessful G.E.D Candidates.” Indus. and Labor Relations Rev. 57 (4): 579-98.
20. Tyler, John H., Richard J. Murnane, and John B. Willett. 2000a. “Do the Cognitive Skills of School Dropouts Matter in the Labor Market?” J. Human Resources 35 (4): 748-54.
21. Tyler, John H., Richard J. 2000b. “Estimating the Labor Market Signaling Value of the GED.” Q.J.E. 115 (2): 431-68.
22. Tyler, John H., Richard J. 2003. “Who Benefits from a GED? Evidence for Females from High School and Beyond.” Econ. Educ. Rev. 22 (3): 237-47