About the event
This paper develops a dynamic discrete choice model of schooling and occupational choices that incorporates time-varying personality traits, as measured by the so-called “Big Five" traits. The model is estimated using the HILDA longitudinal dataset from Australia. Personality traits are found to play a critical role in explaining education and occupation choices over the lifecycle. The traits evolve during young adult years but stabilize in the mid-30s. Results show that individuals with a comparative advantage in schooling and white-collar work have, on average, higher cognitive skills and higher personality traits, in all five dimensions. The estimated model is used to evaluate two education policies: compulsory senior secondary school and a 50% college subsidy. Both policies are found to be effective in increasing educational attainment, but the compulsory schooling policy provides greater benefits to lower socioeconomic groups. Allowing personality traits to evolve with age and with years of schooling proves to be important in capturing policy response heterogeneity.
Please check back closer to the event for more details.
- The online seminars are held on Zoom and last 75 minutes; 60 minutes are allocated to the seminar and 15 minutes for discussion
- The online seminars are held on Zoom and last 60 minutes including discussion.
- The link to each seminar will appear above prior to the start time. Please email h.ku@ucl.ac.uk si.xu.20@ucl.ac.uk if you have not received the password by the day of the seminar.
- The moderator will collect audience questions in chat or using the 'raise hand' function, but feel free to interrupt the presenter for short questions or clarifications.
- Please keep your camera on and your microphone off except when asking questions.
- CReAM Office
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