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Author: Das, Tirthatanmoy
Resulting in 3 citations.
1. Das, Tirthatanmoy
Essays on Cognitive Skills, Non-cognitive Skills, Government Policy, and Labor Market Outcomes
Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York at Binghamton, 2012
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT)
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Cognitive Ability; Noncognitive Skills; Occupational Choice; Occupational Information Network (O*NET); Stress

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Much of a worker's successes is governed by two types of constraints: (a) worker's innate abilities, and (b) policies that limit worker's labor market opportunities. Workers with a higher endowment of abilities tend to perform better than ones with lower endowments. For example, studies show that workers with higher AFQT (a measure for ability) attain higher schooling and enjoy higher earnings. Similarly, workers in a well-managed labor market enjoy better career opportunities than in badly managed ones. For example, workers in a well-managed market incur lower search costs, and experience shorter spells of unemployment than ones working in a badly managed markets. Thus, understanding these constraints and their effects are crucial for effective policymaking. The essays in this dissertation address topics related to these constraints. The first looks into the way economists handle abilities. The second examines the link between non-cognitive skills (stress tolerance and stress resilience) and occupational choices. The third examines the intended and unintended effects of policy on young women's labor market outcomes.
Bibliography Citation
Das, Tirthatanmoy. Essays on Cognitive Skills, Non-cognitive Skills, Government Policy, and Labor Market Outcomes. Ph.D. Dissertation, State University of New York at Binghamton, 2012.
2. Polachek, Solomon W.
Das, Tirthatanmoy
Thamma-Apiroam, Rewat
Heterogeneity in the Production of Human Capital
IZA Discussion Paper No. 7335, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), April 2013.
Also: http://ftp.iza.org/dp7335.pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
Keyword(s): Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT); Earnings; Human Capital; Locus of Control (see Rotter Scale); Racial Differences; Self-Esteem; Skill Depreciation; Socioeconomic Background

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

We derive a tractable nonlinear earnings function which we estimate separately for each individual in the NLSY79 data. These estimates yield five important parameters for each individual: three ability measures (two representing the ability to learn and one the ability to earn), a rate of skill depreciation, and a time discount rate. In addition, we obtain a population wide estimate of the rental rate of human capital. To illustrate heterogeneity in the production of human capital, we plot the distribution of these parameters along with NLSY79 reported AFQT scores. By utilizing these parameters, we are able to verify a number of heretofore untested theorems based on the life-cycle human capital model. In addition, we are able to show how these human capital production function parameters relate to cognitive ability, personality traits, and family background. Among our results, we find: Black-white differences in ability are smaller than those exhibited in standardized tests. Blacks have higher time discount and skill depreciation rates than whites. Individuals with higher time discount rates and greater rates of skill depreciation have fewer years of school. Individuals with both a high internal locus of control and self-esteem exhibit greater ability, lower skill depreciation, and smaller time discount rates. Individuals inclined towards depression have higher time discount rates. Agreeable, open, conscientious and extrovert individuals have a greater ability to learn but not necessarily a greater ability to earn. Neurotic individuals have a lower ability to learn. Higher parental education is associated with a greater ability to learn, lower skill depreciation, and a smaller time discount rate. Educational stimuli, such as growing up in a household that subscribed to magazines, are associated with higher ability. Conversely, growing up poor is associated with lower ability.
Bibliography Citation
Polachek, Solomon W., Tirthatanmoy Das and Rewat Thamma-Apiroam. "Heterogeneity in the Production of Human Capital." IZA Discussion Paper No. 7335, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), April 2013.
3. Polachek, Solomon W.
Das, Tirthatanmoy
Thamma-Apiroam, Rewat
Micro- and Macroeconomic Implications of Heterogeneity in the Production of Human Capital
Journal of Political Economy 123,6 (December 2015): 1410-1455.
Also: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/683989
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Keyword(s): Cognitive Ability; Family Background and Culture; Heterogeneity; Human Capital; Personality/Big Five Factor Model or Traits; Skill Depreciation

We derive a tractable nonlinear earnings function that we estimate separately individual by individual using NLSY79 data. We obtain three ability measures, a rate of skill depreciation, a time discount rate, and a population-wide estimate of the human capital rental rate. We utilize these parameters to verify a number of heretofore untested theorems based on the life cycle model. We show how these human capital production function parameters relate to cognitive ability, personality traits, and family background. Finally, we show that accounting for individual-specific heterogeneity dramatically reduces estimates of population-wide persistence of permanent and transitory shocks by over 50 percent.
Bibliography Citation
Polachek, Solomon W., Tirthatanmoy Das and Rewat Thamma-Apiroam. "Micro- and Macroeconomic Implications of Heterogeneity in the Production of Human Capital." Journal of Political Economy 123,6 (December 2015): 1410-1455.