2022 Klein Lecture Parental Education and Invention : The Finnish Enigma

Philippe Aghion; Ufuk Akcigit; Ari Hyytinen; Otto Toivanen

doi:10.1111/iere.12632

2022 Klein Lecture Parental Education and Invention : The Finnish Enigma

Philippe Aghion, Ufuk Akcigit, Ari Hyytinen, Otto Toivanen

Department of Economics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

38 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Why is invention strongly positively correlated with parental income not only in the United States but also in Finland, which displays low income inequality and high social mobility? Using data on 1.45 M Finnish individuals and their parents, we find the following: (i) the positive association between parental income and off-spring probability of inventing is greatly reduced when controlling for parental education; (ii) instrumenting for the parents having an MSc degree using distance to nearest university reveals a large causal effect of parental education on offspring probability of inventing; and (iii) the causal effect of parental education has been markedly weakened by the introduction in the early 1970s of a comprehensive schooling reform.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	453-490
Number of pages	38
Journal	International Economic Review
Volume	64
Issue number	2
Early online date	16 Feb 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12632
Publication status	Published - May 2023
MoE publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1111/iere.12632Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Int Economic Review - 2023 - Aghion - 2022 KLEIN LECTURE PARENTAL EDUCATION AND INVENTION THE FINNISH ENIGMAFinal published version, 2.17 MBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{9018254462a5414082185883245a8664,

title = "2022 Klein Lecture Parental Education and Invention : The Finnish Enigma",

abstract = "Why is invention strongly positively correlated with parental income not only in the United States but also in Finland, which displays low income inequality and high social mobility? Using data on 1.45 M Finnish individuals and their parents, we find the following: (i) the positive association between parental income and off-spring probability of inventing is greatly reduced when controlling for parental education; (ii) instrumenting for the parents having an MSc degree using distance to nearest university reveals a large causal effect of parental education on offspring probability of inventing; and (iii) the causal effect of parental education has been markedly weakened by the introduction in the early 1970s of a comprehensive schooling reform.",

author = "Philippe Aghion and Ufuk Akcigit and Ari Hyytinen and Otto Toivanen",

note = "https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12632",

year = "2023",

month = may,

doi = "10.1111/iere.12632",

language = "English",

volume = "64",

pages = "453--490",

journal = "International Economic Review",

issn = "0020-6598",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - 2022 Klein Lecture Parental Education and Invention : The Finnish Enigma

AU - Aghion, Philippe

AU - Akcigit, Ufuk

AU - Hyytinen, Ari

AU - Toivanen, Otto

N1 - https://doi.org/10.1111/iere.12632

PY - 2023/5

Y1 - 2023/5

N2 - Why is invention strongly positively correlated with parental income not only in the United States but also in Finland, which displays low income inequality and high social mobility? Using data on 1.45 M Finnish individuals and their parents, we find the following: (i) the positive association between parental income and off-spring probability of inventing is greatly reduced when controlling for parental education; (ii) instrumenting for the parents having an MSc degree using distance to nearest university reveals a large causal effect of parental education on offspring probability of inventing; and (iii) the causal effect of parental education has been markedly weakened by the introduction in the early 1970s of a comprehensive schooling reform.

AB - Why is invention strongly positively correlated with parental income not only in the United States but also in Finland, which displays low income inequality and high social mobility? Using data on 1.45 M Finnish individuals and their parents, we find the following: (i) the positive association between parental income and off-spring probability of inventing is greatly reduced when controlling for parental education; (ii) instrumenting for the parents having an MSc degree using distance to nearest university reveals a large causal effect of parental education on offspring probability of inventing; and (iii) the causal effect of parental education has been markedly weakened by the introduction in the early 1970s of a comprehensive schooling reform.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150881014&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/iere.12632

DO - 10.1111/iere.12632

M3 - Article

SN - 0020-6598

VL - 64

SP - 453

EP - 490

JO - International Economic Review

JF - International Economic Review

IS - 2

ER -

2022 Klein Lecture Parental Education and Invention : The Finnish Enigma

Abstract

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this