Initial Labor Market Conditions and Long-Term Outcomes for Economists
- (pp. 143-160)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
Each year, graduate students entering the academic job market worry that they will suffer due to uncontrollable macroeconomic risk. Given the importance of general human capital and the relative ease of publicly observing productivity in academia, one might expect that long-term labor market outcomes for students graduating in unfavorable climates will resemble long-term outcomes for those graduating in favorable climates. In this paper, I analyze the relationship between macroeconomic conditions at graduation, initial job placement, and long-term outcomes for Ph.D. economists from seven programs. Using macroeconomic conditions as an instrument for initial placement, I show that a quality and type of initial job have a causal effect on long-term job characteristics. I also show that better initial placement increases research productivity, which helps to limit the set of economic models that can explain the effect of initial placement on long-term jobs.Citation
Oyer, Paul. 2006. "Initial Labor Market Conditions and Long-Term Outcomes for Economists." Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20 (3): 143-160. DOI: 10.1257/jep.20.3.143JEL Classification
- A11 Role of Economics; Role of Economists
- J22 Time Allocation and Labor Supply
- J23 Labor Demand
- J44 Professional Labor Markets; Occupational Licensing
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