Citation
Elsner, Benjamin & Isphording, Ingo E. (2017). A big fish in a small pond: Ability rank and human capital investment. Journal of Labor Economics. vol. 35 (3) pp. 787-828Abstract
We study the impact of a student’s ordinal rank in a high school cohort on educational attainment several years later. To identify a causal effect, we compare multiple cohorts within the same school, exploiting idiosyncratic variation in cohort composition. We find that a student’s ordinal rank significantly affects educational outcomes later in life. Students with a higher rank are significantly more likely to finish high school and to attend college. Exploring potential channels, we find that students with a higher rank have higher expectations about their future career, as well as a higher perceived intelligence.URL
https://doi.org/10.1086/690714Reference Type
Journal ArticleJournal Title
Journal of Labor EconomicsAuthor(s)
Elsner, BenjaminIsphording, Ingo E.