Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Semeijn Judith
Author-Name: Velden Rrolf van der
Author-Name: Heijke Hans
Author-Name: Vleuten Cees van der
Author-Name: Boshuizen Els
Author-workplace-name: ROA rm
Title: The role of education in selection and allocation on the labour market; An empirical study in the medical field
Abstract: In this study, we explore the role of education in explaining the labour market outcomes for graduates in medicine. More specifically, we focus on the question: To what extent are labour market outcomes of physicians explained by the skills acquired in education, as argued in the theory of Human Capital, by competences already present at the start of education, as suggested by the Screening theory literature, or by having attained the medical degree as such, as suggested by the literature on Credentialism? The study uses separate measurements of competence at the start and at the end of academic education. These are grade point averages (GPA’s) of secondary school, available at the start of the first year of study, versus the final (medical) Skills test at the end of the study. Moreover, we use a direct measurement of competence development during medical education in the form of Progress Test results; the first Progress Test result in the first year, versus the final Progress Test result in the fourth year of study. This enables us to disentangle the effects of the three suggested mechanisms. The results suggest that after graduation the human capital factors available do not explain subsequent differences in labour market outcomes. The data therefore suggest evidence for Credentialism. However, selection processes during education and in the response to the labour market survey, take place on human capital acquired before and during education. 
Keywords: labour market entry and occupational careers; 
Series: Research Memoranda
Creation-Date: 2004
Number: 002
File-URL: http://digitalarchive.maastrichtuniversity.nl/fedora/objects/guid:319173db-bbfc-4001-9d85-2241fa0325bb/datastreams/ASSET1/content
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 678195
Handle: RePEc:unm:umaror:2004002