TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Patrinos, Harry Anthony
AU  - Rivera-Olvera, Angelica
        TI  - The Returns to Education in Arkansas: Evidence from the 1987 Compulsory Education Law
        PY  - 2026/Feb/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18364
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp18364
        AB  - This paper estimates the returns to education in Arkansas — one of the last states to extend compulsory schooling — using ACS 2023 data and the 1987 Compulsory Schooling Law (CSL) reform as an instrument. OLS estimates imply returns of 9.5–10.4 percent per year of schooling. The CSL reform increased schooling among compliers by 0.67–0.73 years and yields IV returns of 10.4–11.7 percent, exceeding OLS estimates. The results indicate that those compelled to remain in school benefited most, consistent with global evidence on higher causal returns for disadvantaged students.
        KW  - returns to education
KW  - human capital
KW  - wage differentials
KW  - earnings function
KW  - Arkansas
KW  - instrumental variables
KW  - compulsory schooling
        ER  -