IZA Discussion Papers

also available as 'The price of inaction: the global private, fiscal and social costs of children and youth not learning', United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Paris, 2024

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17283

Unbundling Returns to Postsecondary Degrees and Skills: Evidence from Colombia

Matias Busso, Sebastián Montaño, Juan S. Muñoz-Morales

published in: Education Economics, 2024, 33 (1), 1-18

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17253

Lifetime Consequences of Lost Instructional Time in the Classroom: Evidence from Shortened School Years

Kamila Cygan-Rehm

forthcoming in: Journal of Labor Economics

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17249

Intergenerational Effects of Compulsory Schooling Reform on Early Childhood Development in a Middle-Income Country

Yusuf Emre Akgündüz, Pelin Akyol, Abdurrahman B. Aydemir, Murat Demirci, Murat Güray Kirdar

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17239

Parental Health, Adolescents' Mental Distress and Non-cognitive Skills

Apostolos Davillas, Victor Hugo de Oliveira, Athina Raftopoulou

significantly revised version published in: Economics & Human Biology, 2025, 58, 101506

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17190

The Impact of Children's Access to Public Health Insurance on Their Cognitive Development and Behavior

Marie C. Hull, Ji Yan

published in: Journal of Health Economics, 2024, 98, 102935

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17165

How Do You Find a Good Manager?

Ben Weidmann, Joseph Vecci, Farah Said, David Deming, Sonia R. Bhalotra

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17161

Overeducation, Earnings and Job Satisfaction among Graduates in China

Melanie K. Jones, Ezgi Kaya, Jiarui Nan

published in: China Economic Review, 2025, 93, 102448

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17145

Effects of Teaching Practices on Life Satisfaction and Test Scores: Evidence from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Kelsey J. O'Connor, Stefano Bartolini

published in: Kyklos, 2025, 78 (3), 749-774

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17119

Making the Right Call: The Heterogeneous Effects of Individual Performance Pay on Productivity

Marco Clemens, Jan Sauermann

published in: Labour Economics, 2025, 94, 102694

IZA Discussion Paper No. 17105

ICT Skills and Labor Market Outcomes in India: Evidence from Cell Tower Expansion

Mehtabul Azam, M. Shahe Emran, Forhad Shilpi

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16993

Soft Skills, Competition, and Hiring Discrimination

Christian Valencia, Sarah Janzen, Yashodhan Ghorpade, Amanina Abdur Rahman

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16945

Students' Grit and Their Post-compulsory Educational Choices and Trajectories: Evidence from Switzerland

Janine Albiez, Maurizio Strazzeri, Stefan C. Wolter

published online in: , 16 September 2025

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16938

Meritocracy across Countries

Oriana Bandiera, Ananya Kotia, Ilse Lindenlaub, Christian Moser, Andrea Prat

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16937

Game Changer: Impact of a Reading Intervention on Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills

Micole De Vera, Javier Garcia-Brazales, Luz Rello

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16909

Food Coma Is Real: The Effect of Digestive Fatigue on Adolescents' Cognitive Performance

Justine Hervé, Subha Mani, Jere R. Behrman, Ramanan Laxminarayan, Arindam Nandi

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16881

Daycare Enrollment Age and Child Development

Mette Gørtz, Vibeke Myrup Jensen, Sarah Sander

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16755

What Skills Pay More? The Changing Demand and Return to Skills for Professional Workers

Cecily Josten, Helen Krause, Grace Lordan, Brian Yeung

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16755

What Skills Pay More? The Changing Demand and Return to Skills for Professional Workers

Cecily Josten, Helen Krause, Grace Lordan, Brian Yeung

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16755

What Skills Pay More? The Changing Demand and Return to Skills for Professional Workers

Cecily Josten, Helen Krause, Grace Lordan, Brian Yeung

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16755

What Skills Pay More? The Changing Demand and Return to Skills for Professional Workers

Cecily Josten, Helen Krause, Grace Lordan, Brian Yeung

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16746

Recessions and the Labor Market Returns to Cognitive and Social Skills

David E. Frisvold, Sun Hyung Kim

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16746

Recessions and the Labor Market Returns to Cognitive and Social Skills

David E. Frisvold, Sun Hyung Kim

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16704

Taking Back Control? Quasi-Experimental Evidence on the Impact of Retirement on Locus of Control

Andrew E. Clark, Rong Zhu

published in: Economic Journal, 2024, 134, 1465–1493

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16694

When Randomization Is Not Feasible: The Case of Parenting Skills Programs

Daniela Del Boca, Chiara D. Pronzato, Lucia Schiavon

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16658

Mens Sana in Corpore Sano! The Hiring Premium for Physical versus Mental Exercise in Different Occupations

Dieter Verhaest, Stijn Baert

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16635

Gender Differences in Teacher Judgement of Comparative Advantage

Judith M. Delaney, Paul J. Devereux

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16595

The Persistent Effect of Competition on Prosociality

Fabian Kosse, Ranjita Rajan, Michela M. Tincani

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16595

The Persistent Effect of Competition on Prosociality

Fabian Kosse, Ranjita Rajan, Michela M. Tincani

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16593

Using Domain-Specific Word Embeddings to Examine the Demand for Skills

Sugat Chaturvedi, Kanika Mahajan, Zahra Siddique

published in: B. Elsner and S. W. Polachek (eds.), Big Data Applications in Labor Economics (Research in Labor Economics Vol. 52B), Emerald, 2024, 171-223

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16542

No Longer Qualified? Changes in the Supply and Demand for Skills within Occupations

Alicia Sasser Modestino, Mary A. Burke, Shahriar Sadighi, Rachel Sederberg, Tomere Stern, Bledi Taska

This version: February 2025.

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16496

The Impact of Restricting Fixed-Term Contracts on Labor and Skill Demand

Giuseppe Grasso, Konstantinos Tatsiramos

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16456

Social Skills and the Individual Wage Growth of Less Educated Workers

Philippe Aghion, Antonin Bergeaud, Richard Blundell, Rachel Griffith

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16449

Signaling Specific Skills and the Labor Market of College Graduates

Matias Busso, Sebastián Montaño, Juan S. Muñoz-Morales

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16425

Adult Education Attendance and Postsecondary Outcomes

Thomas Kouwe, David C. Ribar, Daphne Greenberg, Yiwei Duan

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16339

Why Is the Roy-Borjas Model Unable to Predict International Migrant Selection on Education? Evidence from Urban and Rural Mexico

Stefan Leopold, Jens Ruhose, Simon Wiederhold

published in: World Economy, 2025, 48 (2), 300 - 322

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16227

New Technologies and Jobs in Europe

Stefania Albanesi, António Dias da Silva, Juan F. Jimeno, Ana Lamo, Alena Wabitsch

published in: Economic Policy, 2025, 40 (121), 71–139

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16199

Innovation and the Labor Market: Theory, Evidence and Challenges

Nicoletta Corrocher, Daniele Moschella, Jacopo Staccioli, Marco Vivarelli

published in: Industrial and Corporate Change, 2024, 33 (3), 519–540

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16134

Cognitive Skills among Adults: An Impeding Factor for Gender Convergence?

Michele Battisti, Alexandra Fedorets, Lavinia Kinne

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16125

Using Genes to Explore the Relationship of Cognitive and Non-cognitive Skills with Education and Labor Market Outcomes

Thomas Buser, Rafael Ahlskog, Magnus Johannesson, Philipp Koellinger, Sven Oskarsson

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16091

Access to Language Training and the Local Integration of Refugees

Mette Foged, Cynthia van der Werf

published in: Labour Economics, 2023, 84, 102366

IZA Discussion Paper No. 16017

Effects of Early Childhood Climate on Cognitive Development and Home Environment

Wenjie Wu, Yang Zhe, Jun Hyung Kim, Ai Yue

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15985

Do Classical Studies Open Your Mind?

Giorgio Brunello, Piero Esposito, Lorenzo Rocco, Sergio Scicchitano

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15950

Language Proficiency and Hiring of Immigrants: Evidence from a New Field Experimental Approach

Magnus Carlsson, Stefan Eriksson, Dan-Olof Rooth

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15940

Long-Term Effects of Rainfall Shocks on Foundational Cognitive Skills: Evidence from Peru

Nicolas Pazos, Marta Favara, Alan Sanchez, Douglas Scott, Jere R. Behrman

published in: Economics & Human Biology, 2024, 54, 101407

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15876

The Effects of Schooling on Cognitive Skills: Evidence from Education Expansions

Lorenzo Cappellari, Daniele Checchi, Marco Ovidi

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15818

How Early Nutrition and Foundational Cognitive Skills Interconnect? Evidence from Two Developing Countries

Alan Sanchez, Marta Favara, Margaret Sheridan, Jere R. Behrman

published as 'Does early nutrition predict cognitive skills during later childhood? Evidence from two developing countries' in: World Development, 2024, 176, 106480

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15784

The Effect of Brazil's Family Health Program on Cognitive Skills

Pinar Mine Gunes, Magda Tsaneva

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15748

Do College Admissions Criteria Matter? Evidence from Discretionary vs. Grade-Based Admission Policies

Rais Kamis, Jessica Pan, Kelvin Seah

published in: Economics of Education Review, 2023, 92, 102347

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15731

The Empirics of Technology, Employment and Occupations: Lessons Learned and Challenges Ahead

Fabio Montobbio, Jacopo Staccioli, Maria Enrica Virgillito, Marco Vivarelli

published in: Journal of Economic Surveys, 2024, 38 (5), 1622-1655

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15702

Occupational Tasks and Wage Inequality in Germany: A Decomposition Analysis

Miriam Koomen, Uschi Backes-Gellner

published in: Labour Economics, 2022, 79, 102284

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15694

IT Skills, Occupation Specificity and Job Separations

Christian Eggenberger, Uschi Backes-Gellner

published in: Economics of Education Review, 2023, 92, 102333

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15672

Parenting Promotes Social Mobility Within and Across Generations

Jorge Luis García, James J. Heckman

published in: Annual Review of Economics, 2023, 15, 349 - 388

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15648

Global Universal Basic Skills: Current Deficits and Implications for World Development

Sarah Gust, Eric A. Hanushek, Ludger Woessmann

published in: Journal of Development Economics, 2024, 166, 103205

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15635

The Dynamics of Power in Labor Markets: Monopolistic Unions versus Monopsonistic Employers

Samuel Dodini, Kjell G. Salvanes, Alexander Willén

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15624

Spillover Effects of Immigration Policies on Children's Human Capital

Esther Arenas-Arroyo, Bernhard Schmidpeter

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15594

Opening the Black Box: Task and Skill Mix and Productivity Dispersion

G.Jacob Blackwood, Cindy Cunningham, Matt Dey, Lucia Foster, Cheryl Grim, John C. Haltiwanger, Rachel Nesbit, Sabrina Wulff Pabilonia, Jay Stewart, Cody Tuttle, Zoltan Wolf

published in: Susanto Basu, Lucy Eldridge, John Haltiwanger, and Erich Strassner (eds.), Technology, Productivity and Economic Growth, University of Chicago Press, 2025

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15588

Can Grit Be Taught? Lessons from a Nationwide Field Experiment with Middle-School Students

Indhira Santos, Violeta Petroska-Beska, Pedro Carneiro, Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, Ana Maria Munoz Boudet, Inés Berniell, Christian Krekel, Omar Arias, Angela Lee Duckworth

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15551

Social Protection and Foundational Cognitive Skills during Adolescence: Evidence from a Large Public Works Programme

Richard Freund, Marta Favara, Catherine Porter, Jere R. Behrman

published in: World Bank Economic Review, 2024, 38 (2), 296 - 318

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15551

Social Protection and Foundational Cognitive Skills during Adolescence: Evidence from a Large Public Works Programme

Richard Freund, Marta Favara, Catherine Porter, Jere R. Behrman

published in: World Bank Economic Review, 2024, 38 (2), 296 - 318

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15513

The Relation between Skills and Job Security: Identifying the Contractual Return to Skills

Ron Diris, Olaf Van Vliet

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15506

Using Online Vacancy and Job Applicants' Data to Study Skills Dynamics

Fidel Bennett, Veronica Escudero, Hannah Liepmann, Ana Podjanin

published in: Research in Labor Economics, 2024, 52B, 35-99.

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15506

Using Online Vacancy and Job Applicants' Data to Study Skills Dynamics

Fidel Bennett, Veronica Escudero, Hannah Liepmann, Ana Podjanin

published in: Research in Labor Economics, 2024, 52B, 35-99.

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15505

Much Ado about Nothing? School Curriculum Reforms and Students' Educational Trajectories

Maurizio Strazzeri, Chantal Oggenfuss, Stefan C. Wolter

published as 'Early exposure to foreign language training and students’ educational trajectories' in: Economics of Education Review, 2025, 108, 102684 (with Enzo Brox)

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15435

The Impact of Centre-Based Childcare on Non-cognitive Skills of Young Children

Greta Morando, Lucinda Platt

published in: Economica, 2022, 356, 908-946

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15421

Effects of Extending Paid Parental Leave on Children's Socio-Emotional Skills and Well-Being in Adolescence

Mikkel Aagaard Houmark, Cecilie Marie Løchte Jørgensen, Ida Lykke Kristiansen, Miriam Gensowski

publishled in: European Economic Review, 2024, 170, 104880

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15361

Can the Labor Demand Curve Explain Job Polarization?

Andreas Peichl, Martin Popp

IZA Discussion Paper No. 15344