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The knowledge lift: The Swedish adult education program that aimed to eliminate low worker skill levels

Författare: James Albrecht, Och Gerard J. van den Berg, Och Susan Vroman, Och

Publicerad i: Review of Economic Dynamics 2009, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 129-146

Sammanfattning av Working paper 2004:17

The Swedish adult education program called Knowledge Lift is unprecedented
in its size and scope, aiming to raise the skill level of all low-skilled
workers towards the medium level. This paper evaluates the effects of program
participation on individual labor market outcomes, notably employment
and annual income, as well as on the labor market equilibrium. For
the effects at the individual level we apply fixed effect methods allowing
for treatment effect heterogeneity. The data are based on a number of
matched longitudinal administrative data sets covering the full population
of Sweden. For the equilibrium effects we analyze an equilibrium search
model with heterogeneous worker skills. This model is calibrated using
pre-program observations.

The Swedish adult education program called Knowledge Lift is unprecedented in its size and scope, aiming to raise the skill level of all low-skilled workers towards the medium level. This paper evaluates the effects of program participation on individual labor market outcomes, notably employment and annual income, as well as on the labor market equilibrium. For the effects at the individual level we apply fixed effect methods allowing for treatment effect heterogeneity. The data are based on a number of matched longitudinal administrative data sets covering the full population of Sweden. For the equilibrium effects we analyze an equilibrium search model with heterogeneous worker skills. This model is calibrated using pre-program observations.

 

Keywords: returns to education, training, program evaluation, wages, participation, unemployment, schooling, Swedish labor market, selectivity bias, treatment effect.

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