Examining the Impact of Educational Reforms on Schooling and Competences in PIAAC

Recent surveys on adult competences (e.g., IALS, PIAAC) show that competences are positively correlated with schooling and parental background. However, the institutional differences across countries mediate the impact of these variables, thus leading to less/more egalitarian distributions of competences as well as to difference in the gradient of competences on employment probability and earnings. This chapter intends to exploit existing data sets to explore the varieties of educational systems, distinguishing between inclusive and selective according to whether they are associated with less or more dispersed distribution of competences, once they are controlled for schooling and parental background. Typical reform indicators (that are time varying and can therefore be associated to different age cohorts) include duration of compulsory schooling, age of secondary school tracking, school autonomy, central examination, and student financial aid.