Natural resources, demand for skills, and schooling choices
The paper titled "Natural resources, demand for skills, and schooling choices" by Aline Bütikofer, Antonio Dalla-Zuanna and Kjell G. Salvanes has been published in Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.
abstract
This paper studies the consequences of the buildup of a new economic sector—the Norwegian petroleum industry—on investment in human capital. We assess both short- and long-term effects on educational choices by comparing individuals in oil-exposed regions with those in unexposed regions. We analyze how the effects and mechanisms change as the sector develops. Our results indicate a short-term increase in the high school dropout rate and a long-term decrease in academic high school and college enrolment, except for engineering degrees. Financial incentives are the most likely channels driving these effects on high school and university education.