Two new working papers
Two new working papers by John Nye, Maksym Bryukhanov and Sergiy Polyachenko.
Nye, J. V. C., Bryukhanov, M., Polyachenko, S. (August 15, 2016). Does Higher Education Contribute to a Change in Attitudes to Government Price Control in Russia? Higher School of Economics Research Paper No. WP BRP 146/EC/2016. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2823452 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2823452
Abstract
Does the educational process itself transform an individual’s world outlook towards pro-market values in transition? Much evidence indicates that education correlates with liberal values. However, it is not clear whether this association is the result of selection into education or whether education itself makes people liberal as education and liberal values both are linked to unobservable characteristics such as cognitive abilities, household traits, and the social environment, implying biased ordinary least squares estimates. We employ unique data from 2 waves of the Russian Longitudinal Measurement Survey (RLMS) which contains individual attitudes towards government price control. To overcome the issue of the mutual correlation of liberal values, education, and predetermined and time stable characteristics (fixed effects), we use regressions in first-differences. A negative link between obtaining higher education and support for government price control is documented. The results are also robust to different indicators of the dependent variable and for different sub-samples. Additionally, based on a cross-section sample, we provide evidence that the psychodynamic channel of educational impact on pro-market attitudes is important: white-collar occupations can be considered as insurance against possible market price shocks. The liberal effect of education shows the importance of research on educational policy in the process of the formation of pro-market attitudes in Russia and in other transition economies.
Nye, J. V. C., Bryukhanov, M., Polyachenko, S. (August 15, 2016). 2D:4D and Lifetime Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the Russian RLMS Survey. Higher School of Economics Research Paper No. WP BRP 145/EC/2016. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2823451 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2823451
Abstract
Is in utero exposure to testosterone (T), measured by the second to fourth digit ratio (2D:4D), associated with lifetime educational attainment? A growing body of work finds exposure to prenatal T to be associated with aggression, physical fitness, performance in computer science, and type of occupation. However, there has not yet been substantial research its relationship with lifetime educational outcomes. Using a large sample drawn from families in Moscow and in the Moscow region from the Russian Longitudinal Measurement Survey (RLMS), we observe clear links between measured 2D:4D and the levels of education obtained by men. Statistically significant positive associations between higher 2D:4D (lower prenatal T) and higher levels of education were found, using difference in means analysis and generalized ordered logit (gologit) regressions. These findings were also robust to using a different subsample. Weaker findings were seen for women. Since many of the earlier findings have shown the benefits of higher prenatal T for achievement, the current finding of a negative effect of prenatal T on educational attainment raises interesting issues about the ambiguous effects of prenatal T and the degree to which the traits it promotes interact with different tasks and social contexts.