Educational careers, educational systems, and individual welfare outcomes
Project leader
Funding source
Swedish Research Council - Vetenskapsrådet (VR) |
Project Details
Start date: 01/01/2008
End date: 31/12/2010
Funding: 3430000 SEK
Description
Previous research has documented strong correlations between educational level, on the one hand, and occupation, income, health and longevity, on the other. Social reproduction across generations is typically mediated by schooling. In this project on education and stratification in Sweden 1970 to 2005, our strategy is to identify the driving mechanisms by examining how educational careers – the pathways of schooling through time and space – affect occupational attainment, income and health. We compare individuals who have attained their education continuously with those who have interrupted their schooling, and especially look at outcomes for those who return to education after several years of gainful employment. We also compare effects of education across different regions, schools and educational fields. We use two sets of panel data that allow us to deal extensively with problems of selection bias. The first data set (STAR) includes a very large number of observations (several million) with detailed information on cognitive ability, education, income, and health outcomes (including causes of death), while the second (LNU) contains very detailed information on educational careers, labor market transitions, income trajectories and health. A central task will be to analyze how educational mechanisms interact with the schooling system and its changes. How have educational reforms in Sweden affected the impact of education in different social strata?