Why Do Some Young Adults Not Graduate from Upper Secondary School? On the Importance of Signals of Labour Market Failure

41 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2016

See all articles by Björn Gustafsson

Björn Gustafsson

University of Gothenburg - Department of Social Work; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Katarina Katz

Karlstad University

Torun Osterberg

University of Gothenburg - Department of Social Work

Abstract

In high-income countries, not completing secondary school often entails a high risk of social exclusion. Using data on young adults born in 1985 that grew up in metropolitan Sweden, we study factors associated with not graduating from upper secondary school at age 21. Our hypothesis is that if a young person sees examples of people who are not able to earn a living despite having a long education, such negative examples are influential. Results from estimated logistic models are consistent with the hypothesis.

Keywords: secondary schooling, Sweden, social exclusion, neighbourhoods

JEL Classification: D64, I24, R23

Suggested Citation

Gustafsson, Bjorn and Katz, Katarina and Osterberg, Torun, Why Do Some Young Adults Not Graduate from Upper Secondary School? On the Importance of Signals of Labour Market Failure. IZA Discussion Paper No. 9886, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2769194 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2769194

Bjorn Gustafsson (Contact Author)

University of Gothenburg - Department of Social Work ( email )

Göteborg
Sweden
+46 31-773-1890 (Phone)
+45 31-773-1888 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Katarina Katz

Karlstad University

Karlstad University SE-651 88 Karlstad, SWEDEN
Karlstad University SE-651 88 Karlstad, SWEDEN
Karlstad, 65188
Sweden

Torun Osterberg

University of Gothenburg - Department of Social Work ( email )

Göteborg
Sweden

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