Janos Kollo

Earnings gains and losses from insured unemployment in Hungary

Abstract The paper investigates wages before and after unemployment in a sample of the outflow from the benefit register to jobs in Hungary, 1994. The survey suggests that the median Hungarian unemployed suffers a minor earnings loss in real terms but the proportion of losers is high. Tests of pooling restrictions suggest different patterns of wage change by reasons of unemployment and duration. Wage change regressions are estimated separately for job leavers, short and long spells of job losers, and recalled workers.

Whose children gain from starting school later? – evidence from Hungary

We look at the effect of school starting age on standardized test scores using data covering all grade four and grade eight students in Hungary. Instrumental variables estimates of the local average treatment effect suggest that children generally gain from starting school one year later and the effects are much stronger in the case of students coming from low-educated families. We test the robustness of the results by allowing for heterogeneity in the age effect, distinguishing between fields of testing, using discontinuity samples and relying on alternative data. The hypothesis that delayed entry has a stronger impact on low-status children is supported by the robustness checks. The observed patterns are most probably explained by the better performance of kindergartens, as opposed to schools, in developing the skills of low-status children.We look at the effect of school starting age on standardized test scores using data covering all Grade 4 and Grade 8 students in Hungary. Instrumental variables estimates of the local average treatment effect suggest that children generally gain from starting school 1 year later, and the effects are much stronger in the case of students coming from low-educated families. We test the robustness of the results by allowing for heterogeneity in the age effect, distinguishing between fields of testing, using discontinuity samples and relying on alternative data. The hypothesis that delayed entry has a stronger impact on low-status children is supported by the robustness checks. The observed patterns are most probably explained by the better performance of kindergartens, as opposed to schools, in developing the skills of low-status children.