Schooling, Skills, and Labor Market Outcomes in Africa: Evidence from Ghana and Kenya

Otchia, Christian (2017): Schooling, Skills, and Labor Market Outcomes in Africa: Evidence from Ghana and Kenya.

Abstract

Researchers have shown that there is a mutually reinforcing interaction between cognitive and socioemotional skills, and this combination explains the success in various aspects of life, such as employment, wage, and health status. This paper aims at understanding the interactions between cognitive skills and socioemotional skills in Africa. It also assesses the association of these skills with labor market outcomes, with a special focus on women and youth. To provide fine policy directions to inform decision-making and future research, this paper incorporates more relevant employment status in African labor market, such as high-skills occupation and education-job mismatch.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Cognitive skills, socioemotional skills, Labor Market Outcomes, Africa
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I2 - Education and Research Institutions > I26 - Returns to Education; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J24 - Human Capital ; Skills ; Occupational Choice ; Labor Productivity; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J3 - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs > J31 - Wage Level and Structure ; Wage Differentials; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J4 - Particular Labor Markets > J46 - Informal Labor Markets

References

1. Bowles, S., Gintis, H., & Osborne, M. (2001). Incentive-Enhancing Preferences: Personality, Behavior, and Earnings. American Economic Review, 91(2), 155-158.

2. Hanushek, E., & Woessman, L. (2008). The role of cognitive skills in economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(3), 607-668.

3. Heckman, J. J., Stixrud, J., & Urzua, S. (2006). The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labor Market Outcomes and Social Behavior. Journal of Labor Economics, 24(3), 441-482.