Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
危机与教育成就
Crises and Educational Attainment
摘要
Between 1910 and 1940, U.S. high school graduation rates rose five-fold, driving twentieth-century economic growth. I explore how the Great Depression’s surge in youth unemployment influenced this trend, emphasizing gender and socioeconomic disparities. Using linked census data and newly digitized city-level unemployment rates, I find that youth unemployment significantly increased high school and post-secondary completion among higher-income boys, while effects on girls and lower-income youths were negligible. These results underscore the role of household resources in leveraging educational opportunities, as financial constraints limited disadvantaged groups from benefiting from reduced opportunity costs.
中文摘要
1910年至1940年间，美国高中毕业率增长了五倍，推动了20世纪的经济增长。本文探讨了大萧条期间青年失业率激增如何影响这一趋势，重点关注性别和社会经济差异。通过使用关联人口普查数据和新数字化的城市级失业率数据，我发现青年失业显著提高了高收入男孩的高中和高等教育完成率，而对女孩和低收入青年的影响微乎其微。这些结果凸显了家庭资源在利用教育机会中的作用，因为经济限制使弱势群体难以从机会成本降低中获益。