Attrition from Administrative Data: Problems and Solutions with an Application to Postsecondary Education / Andrew Foote, Kevin M. Stange.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Foote, Andrew.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Stange, Kevin M.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w30232.

NBER working paper series no. w30232

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2022.

Summary:

This paper examines the bias arising from individuals' migration from administrative outcome data, with a focus on the labor market consequences of postsecondary education. We find that out-of-state migration is particularly problematic for high-earners, flagship graduates, and certain majors. Consequently, the effect of graduating from a flagship university is 10% higher than one would estimate using in-state earnings exclusively, though the extent of bias differs substantially across contexts. The impact of obtaining a 2-year CTE credential is also understated, as are earnings differences across majors. Approaches to testing for and bounding this bias are considered.

Notes:

Print version record

July 2022.