High School Genetic Diversity and Later-life Student Outcomes: Micro-level Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

No 23520, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: A novel hypothesis posits that levels of genetic diversity in a population may partially explain variation in the development and success of countries. Our paper extends evidence on this novel question by subjecting the hypothesis to an alternative context that eliminates many alternative hypotheses by aggregating representative data to the high school level from a single state (Wisconsin) in 1957, when the population was composed nearly entirely of individuals of European ancestry. Using this sample of high school aggregations, we too find a strong effect of genetic diversity on socioeconomic outcomes. Additionally, we check an existing mechanism and propose a new potential mechanism of the results for innovation: personality traits associated with creativity and divergent thinking.

JEL-codes: J24 O4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gro and nep-ure
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Published as C. Justin Cook & Jason M. Fletcher, 2018. "High-school genetic diversity and later-life student outcomes: micro-level evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study," Journal of Economic Growth, vol 23(3), pages 307-339.

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Journal Article: High-school genetic diversity and later-life student outcomes: micro-level evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (2018)
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