eprintid: 2895 rev_number: 10 eprint_status: archive userid: 150 dir: disk0/00/00/28/95 datestamp: 2007-03-22 12:00:00 lastmod: 2015-07-23 09:33:28 status_changed: 2008-01-09 13:42:59 type: working_paper metadata_visibility: show item_issues_count: 0 creators_name: Meghir, C. creators_name: Palme, M. creators_id: CHDME77 creators_id: title: Educational reform, ability and family background ispublished: pub subjects: 12055 subjects: 12000 divisions: F24 keywords: JEL classification: H52, I21, I28, J24, J31. Human capital, evaluation of education reform, comprehensive schools, compulsory schooling, earnings, administrative data, differences in differences abstract: In this paper we evaluate the impact of a major school reform, that took place in the 1950s in Sweden, on educational attainment and earnings. The reform, which has many common elements with reforms in other European countries including the UK, consisted of increasing compulsor schooling, 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. date: 2004-05 date_type: published publisher: Institute for Fiscal Studies official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1920/wp.ifs.2004.0410 vfaculties: VSHS oa_status: green language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green lyricists_name: Meghir, C lyricists_id: CHDME77 full_text_status: public series: IFS Working Papers number: W04/10 place_of_pub: London, UK issn: 1742-0415 citation: Meghir, C.; Palme, M.; (2004) Educational reform, ability and family background. (IFS Working Papers W04/10). Institute for Fiscal Studies: London, UK. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/2895/1/2895.pdf