ACHIEVEMENT RANK AFFECTS PERFORMANCE AND MAJOR CHOICES IN COLLEGE

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Elsner, Benjamin; Isphording, Ingo E.; Zoelitz, Ulf
• 署名单位: University College Dublin; IZA Institute Labor Economics; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; University of Zurich; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/ueab034
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 3182-3206
• 关键词: social interactions; random assignment; peer; ability; GENDER

摘要

In this paper we study how a student's ordinal rank in a peer group affects performance and specialisation choices in university. By exploiting data with repeated random assignment of students to teaching sections, we find that a higher rank increases performance and the probability of choosing related follow-up courses and majors. We document two types of dynamic effect. First, earlier ranks are less important than later ranks. Second, responses to rank changes are asymmetric: improvements in rank raise performance, while decreases in rank have no effect. Rank effects partially operate through students' expectations about future grades.