The Value of Postsecondary Credentials in the Labor Market: An Experimental Study

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Deming, David J.; Yuchtman, Noam; Abulafi, Amira; Goldin, Claudia; Katz, Lawrence F.
• 署名单位: Harvard University; University of California System; University of California Berkeley; National Bureau of Economic Research; Harvard University; Harvard University
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20141757
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 778-806
• 关键词: FOR-PROFIT COLLEGES; field experiment; higher-education; DISCRIMINATION; audit; aid

摘要

We study employers' perceptions of the value of postsecondary degrees using a field experiment. We randomly assign the sector and selectivity of institutions to fictitious resumes and apply to real vacancy postings for business and health jobs on a large online job board. We find that a business bachelor's degree from a for-profit online institution is 22 percent less likely to receive a callback than one from a nonselective public institution. In applications to health jobs, we find that for-profit credentials receive fewer callbacks unless the job requires an external quality indicator such as an occupational license.