TY - JOUR

T1 - The benefits of adult learning

T2 - Work-related training, social capital, and earnings

AU - Ruhose, Jens

AU - Thomsen, Stephan L.

AU - Weilage, Insa

N1 - Funding Information: Previous versions of this paper have been circulated under the title “Wider Benefits from Continuous Work-Related Training” and “The Wider Benefits of Adult Learning: Work-Related Training and Social Capital.” We are grateful to Guido Heineck, Sandra McNally, Jens Mohrenweiser, Ina Rüber, Josef Schrader, Nicole Tieben, Simon Wiederhold, Ludger Woessmann, Oleksandr Zhylyevskyy, and seminar and conference participants at the annual meetings of the EEA (Cologne), MEA/SOLE (Evanston), EALE (Lyon), Verein für Socialpolitik (Vienna), standing field committee on the economics of education of the Verein für Socialpolitik (Bern), the conference of the Centre for Vocational Education Research (London), Society for Empirical Educational Research (Basel), the IZA research seminar (Bonn), Goethe University Frankfurt, Leibniz Universität Hannover, and Leuphana Universität Lüneburg for their most helpful comments and discussions. Financial support by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the project “Nicht-monetäre Erträge der Weiterbildung: zivilgesellschaftliche Partizipation (NEWz)” is gratefully acknowledged.

PY - 2019/10

Y1 - 2019/10

N2 - We propose a regression-adjusted matched difference-in-differences framework to estimate pecuniary and non-pecuniary returns to adult education. This approach combines kernel matching with entropy balancing to account for selection bias and sorting on gains. Using data from the German SOEP, we evaluate the effect of work-related training, which represents the largest portion of adult education in OECD countries, on individual social capital and earnings. As the related literature, we estimate positive monetary returns to work-related training. In addition, training participation increases participation in civic, political, and cultural activities while not crowding out social participation. Results are robust against a variety of potentially confounding explanations. These findings imply positive externalities from work-related training over and above the well-documented labor market effects.

AB - We propose a regression-adjusted matched difference-in-differences framework to estimate pecuniary and non-pecuniary returns to adult education. This approach combines kernel matching with entropy balancing to account for selection bias and sorting on gains. Using data from the German SOEP, we evaluate the effect of work-related training, which represents the largest portion of adult education in OECD countries, on individual social capital and earnings. As the related literature, we estimate positive monetary returns to work-related training. In addition, training participation increases participation in civic, political, and cultural activities while not crowding out social participation. Results are robust against a variety of potentially confounding explanations. These findings imply positive externalities from work-related training over and above the well-documented labor market effects.

KW - Earnings

KW - Entropy balancing

KW - Matched difference-in-differences approach

KW - Social capital

KW - Work-related training

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85066957670&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.econedurev.2019.05.010

DO - 10.1016/j.econedurev.2019.05.010

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85066957670

VL - 72

SP - 166

EP - 186

JO - Economics of Education Review

JF - Economics of Education Review

SN - 0272-7757

ER -