Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/71647 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 7305
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
I examine the effects of cognitive ability and personality traits on college graduation in a recent cohort of young Americans, and how the returns to these traits vary by family background, and find very substantial differences across family background groups in the personality traits that predict successful completion of college, particularly for men. The implications are two-fold. First, the returns to noncognitive traits may be highly context-dependent. Second, policy discussion concerning educational inequality should include, not just the possibilities for remediating the skill levels of poor children, but also approaches to changing the environments that limit their opportunities.
Subjects: 
education
personality
inequality
JEL: 
I24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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