Three Essays On The Youth Labor Market PDF Download

Abstract: Results of research from the developed world suggests that noncognitive skills such as self-esteem or locus of control significantly affect key socioeconomic outcomes. More work is needed on whether studies of noncognitive skills in developing countries should use different measures of noncognitive skill, whether noncognitive skills have a different relationship with outcomes in developing countries, and whether programs can affect the formation of noncognitive skills. First, I briefly survey the measures which the developed and developing country strands of the literature use. I also draw on studies from psychology to argue that studies of noncognitive skill in developing countries do not require multidimensional measures of noncognitive skill, but that measures may need contextualization. Second, I look at whether a measure of noncognitive skill affects several youth labor force participation outcomes in India. Analyzing data from India using instrumental variables models with fixed effects (FE), I find evidence that noncognitive skills affect two of these outcomes. Finally, I look at whether participating in Head Start impacts child noncognitive skills. Using Children of the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (CNLSY) data and FE models, I find evidence of a negative impact.