This paper assesses the relative importance of local labour market conditions and pupil educational attainment as the primary determinants of the post-compulsory schooling decision. Using a nested logit model we formally incorporate the structured and sequential decision making process pupils engage with in relation to the schooling decision. Our findings show that, on average, a key driver of the schooling decision is pupil educational attainment. Local labour market conditions do impact on the choices individuals make but differently by gender. Difficult economic conditions encourage males to invest in education rather than seek employment, whilst the converse is true for women, consistent with local labour market conditions impacting heterogeneously across the pupil population.
Presented by:
Jo Swaffield (University of York)
Date & time:
June 20, 2011 3:00 pm
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