?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Educational+reform%2C+ability+and+family+background&rft.creator=Meghir%2C+C.&rft.creator=Palme%2C+M.&rft.description=In+this+paper+we+evaluate+the+impact+of+a+major+school+reform%2C+that+took+place+in+the+1950s+in+Sweden%2C+on+educational+attainment+and+earnings.+The+reform%2C+which+has+many+common+elements+with+reforms+in+other+European+countries+including+the+UK%2C+consisted+of+increasing+compulsor+schooling%2C+imposing+a+national+curriculum+and+abolishing+selection+by+ability+into+Academic+and+non-academic+streams+at+the+age+of+12+(comprehensive+school+reform).+Our+data+combines+survey+data+with+administrative+sources.+We+find+that+the+reform+increased+both+the+educational+attainment+and+the+earnings+of+children+whose+fathers+had+just+compulsory+education.+However+the+earnings+of+those+with+educated+parents+declined+-+possibly+because+of+a+dilution+of+quality+at+the+top+end+of+the+education+levels.+The+overall+effect+of+the+reform+was+however+positive.&rft.subject=JEL+classification%3A+H52%2C+I21%2C+I28%2C+J24%2C+J31.+Human+capital%2C+evaluation+of+education+reform%2C+comprehensive+schools%2C+compulsory+schooling%2C+earnings%2C+administrative+data%2C+differences+in+differences&rft.publisher=Institute+for+Fiscal+Studies&rft.date=2004-05&rft.type=Working+%2F+discussion+paper&rft.language=eng&rft.source=++++(IFS+Working+Papers++W04%2F10).+Institute+for+Fiscal+Studies%3A+London%2C+UK.+(2004)+++++&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.identifier=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscovery.ucl.ac.uk%2Fid%2Feprint%2F2895%2F1%2F2895.pdf&rft.identifier=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscovery.ucl.ac.uk%2Fid%2Feprint%2F2895%2F&rft.rights=open