Stefan C Wolter
Biographic Data
| ID | 898794 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stefan C Wolter |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stefan C |
| FAMILY NAME | Wolter |
| SIGNATURE | WOLTER S C |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Bern |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2721-2284 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 32 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 25 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
The Impact of a Preschool Childcare Expansion on Grade Progression in Early School Careers
We analyze the effects of attendance early childhood education and care (ECEC) on on-track grade progression during the first years of primary schooling. We use a subsidized expansion of the ECEC program as a natural experiment to establish a causal relationship. The results show that students in municipalities that applied for subsidies have a lower probability of grade repetition. These effects are particularly pronounced for boys and children …
Crossing individual university boundaries
Previous literature on predicting university dropouts is mainly limited to institutional dropouts. Our paper extends this narrow framework by relying on administrative data on study trajectories, covering the entire Swiss higher education system. Using machine learning techniques, we predict university dropouts at the national level, show how these prediction results differ from those using a single university perspective, and provide prediction …
Early exposure to foreign language training and students’ educational trajectories
We estimate the impact of a large curriculum reform in Switzerland that substantially increased the share of foreign language classes in compulsory school on students’ subsequent educational choices in upper secondary school. Our analysis focuses on students from German-speaking cantons that introduced English as the first foreign language. Using detailed student register data and exploiting the staggered implementation of the curriculum reform, …
Labour market effects of work-related continuous education in Switzerland – evidence from administrative data
This paper presents the first longitudinal estimates of the effect of work-related training on labour market outcomes in Switzerland. Using a novel dataset that links official census data on adult education to longitudinal register data on labour market outcomes, we apply a regression-adjusted matched difference-in-differences approach with entropy balancing to account for selection bias and sorting. We find that training participation increases …
Are parents an obstacle to gender-atypical occupational choices
Despite numerous measures intended to enhance gender equality, gender-specific study and career choices remain a persistent concern for policymakers and academics globally. We contribute to the literature on gendered career choices by focusing on explicitly stated parental preferences for their children’s occupations, using a large-scale randomized survey experiment with 5940 adults in Switzerland. Adolescents consistently name their parents as t…
How scary is the risk of automation? Evidence from a large-scale survey experiment
Not Just Gender
Learning Loss Due to School Change
We investigate the effect of changing schools on academic achievement. Using representative data on the educational trajectories of 17,000 Swiss lower secondary students and national assessment data at the end of compulsory schooling, we estimate the potential individual achievement gaps caused by a school change. While the overall effect is surprisingly small and statistically insignificant, we find a significant, but also small, negative effect…
Sitting next to a dropout
We investigate the impact of the presence of university dropouts on the academic success of first-time students in universities of applied sciences. Our identification strategy relies on quasi-random variation in the proportion of dropouts. The estimated average zero effect of dropouts on first-time students’ success masks treatment heterogeneity and non-linearities. First, we find negative effects on the academic success of their new peers from …
The strength of gender norms and gender‐stereotypical occupational aspirations among adolescents
We empirically test the hypothesis that adolescents' occupational aspirations are more gender‐stereotypical if they live in a region where the societal norm towards gender equality is weaker. For our analysis, we combine rich survey data describing a sample of 1,434 Swiss adolescents who attended 8th grade in 2013 with municipal voting results dealing with gender equality and policy. We find that occupational aspirations predominantly follow gend…
Rejecting education as the basis of the social prestige of occupations
“Against all odds” Does awareness of the risk of failure matter for educational choices
Educational decisions are always made under uncertainty. This paper examines the effect of providing information about dropout risks on stated preferences for academic versus vocational education in Switzerland, making use of the fact that there are marked historical and cultural differences in preferences for and enrolment rates in academic vs. vocational education across the different language regions. Since there is some harmonisation in terms…
Local norms describing the role of the state and the private provision of training
Apprenticeship systems are essentially based on the voluntary participation of firms that provide, and usually also finance, training positions, often incurring considerable net training costs. One potential, yet under-researched explanation for this behavior is that firms act in accordance with the norms and expectations they face in the local labor market in which they operate. In this paper, we focus on the Swiss apprenticeship system and ask …
Information provision and preferences for education spending
Do adult foreign residents prefer academic to vocational education? Evidence from a survey of public opinion in Switzerland
Using a unique and original dataset measuring preferences of adults for academic vs. vocational education in Switzerland, we explore differences between Swiss citizens and foreign residents regarding individual preferences for these different types of education. We find that first-generation foreigners exhibit stronger preferences for academic education, whereas the preferences of second-generation foreigners do not significantly differ from thos…
Investigating the image deficit of vocational education and training
Vocational education and training (VET) often suffers from a lack of social standing among students and their families. Parents have been shown to discard vocational education because of social status maintenance considerations. How adults perceive the social prestige of occupations might therefore be key in understanding the reasons of the image deficit of VET. While the existing literature on occupational prestige ranking stresses the role of t…
Does political orientation affect the choice of a university major
Using data from a survey of all high-school graduates in a Swiss canton, we analyze the relationship between students’ political orientation and their choice of a university major. Analyzing this question in the context of the Swiss higher education system adds to the existing literature because unlike students in other countries, Swiss students are completely free to choose their place of study and their major. The selection of a university majo…
Better migrants, better Pisa results
Switzerland changed its migration policy in the 1990s from a "non-qualified only" policy to one of almost free movement of labor. To analyze the impact of this policy change on the schooling outcomes of children of first-generation migrants, the paper compares the PISA results of first-generation pupils in 2000 with the scores of children tested in 2009, whose parents immigrated after the policy changed. We find that around 75% of the 40-point in…
A Gift is Not Always a Gift
We study gift exchange in a field experiment where a random subsample of participants in the Swiss Labour Force Survey received vouchers to be used in adult training. Actual voucher redemption can be traced, giving us the unique opportunity to study whether gift exchange in the form of participation in future rounds of the survey depends on the perceived usefulness of the gift. The group of voucher recipients as a whole has significantly higher r…
Monopsony Power, Pay Structure, and Training
Although interest in monopsonistic influences on labor market outcomes has revived in recent years, only a few empirical studies provide direct evidence on this topic. In this article, the authors analyze the effect of monopsony power on pay structure, using a direct measure of labor market thinness. The authors find evidence of monopsony power, as firms facing fewer local competitors offer lower wages to skilled labor and trainees, but not to un…
Individual policy preferences for vocational versus academic education
This paper uses an original dataset from a survey conducted in Switzerland in 2007 to explore the dynamics of education policy preferences. This issue has largely been neglected in that most studies on welfare state attitudes do not look at preferences for education. We argue that education policy preferences vary along two dimensions: the distribution of resources across different sectors of the education system (that is, vocational training ver…
Distance to University and Study Decisions
Betrachtungen zum Arbeitsmarkt der Lehrer in der Schweiz
Der vorliegende Aufsatz untersucht anhand von zwei empirischen Studien den Arbeitsmarkt für Lehrkräfte in der Schweiz. Aufgrund dieser Analysen kann festgestellt werden, dass Universitätsabsolventen1 auch in der Schweiz eine signifikant positive Lohnelastizität aufweisen, wenn es darum geht, sich für oder gegen den Lehrberuf zu entscheiden. Gerade Absolventen in so genannten Mangelfächern an den Schulen scheinen zudem recht sensitiv auf Löhne zu …
Bildungsökonomie – Eine Standortbestimmung
Gemessen an den zahlreichen Forschungsarbeiten auf dem Gebiet der Bildungsökonomie der letzten zehn Jahre befindet sich diese wissenschaftliche Disziplin an der Schnittstelle von Ökonomie und Erziehungswissenschaften in einem zweiten Frühling. Der vorliegende Artikel versucht, ausgewählte Themen und Erkenntnisse der jüngsten bildungsökonomischen Forschung zusammenzufassen und zu interpretieren. Die ausgewählten Themen werden dabei zwei Blöcken zu…
Übergang von Fachhochschulabsolventinnen und -absolventen in den Arbeitsmarkt – am Beispiel der HSW Bern
Mit der Schaffung der Fachhochschulen in der Schweiz ist das Bedürfnis nach Informationen über die Positionierung und Funktionstüchtigkeit dieses Zweiges des tertiären Bildungswesens stark gestiegen. Der vorliegende Artikel zeigt Resultate einer ers-ten Analyse von drei Jahrgängen von Diplomierten der Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Verwaltung in Bern (HSW). Zwei Fragestellungen stehen dabei im Vordergrund: Erstens werden aus der Sicht der Absolven…
Individual policy preferences for vocational versus academic education
This paper uses an original dataset from a survey conducted in Switzerland in 2007 to explore the dynamics of education policy preferences. This issue has largely been neglected in that most studies on welfare state attitudes do not look at preferences for education. We argue that education policy preferences vary along two dimensions: the distribution of resources across different sectors of the education system (that is, vocational training ver…
Investigating the image deficit of vocational education and training
Vocational education and training (VET) often suffers from a lack of social standing among students and their families. Parents have been shown to discard vocational education because of social status maintenance considerations. How adults perceive the social prestige of occupations might therefore be key in understanding the reasons of the image deficit of VET. While the existing literature on occupational prestige ranking stresses the role of t…
Better migrants, better Pisa results
Switzerland changed its migration policy in the 1990s from a "non-qualified only" policy to one of almost free movement of labor. To analyze the impact of this policy change on the schooling outcomes of children of first-generation migrants, the paper compares the PISA results of first-generation pupils in 2000 with the scores of children tested in 2009, whose parents immigrated after the policy changed. We find that around 75% of the 40-point in…
Do adult foreign residents prefer academic to vocational education? Evidence from a survey of public opinion in Switzerland
Using a unique and original dataset measuring preferences of adults for academic vs. vocational education in Switzerland, we explore differences between Swiss citizens and foreign residents regarding individual preferences for these different types of education. We find that first-generation foreigners exhibit stronger preferences for academic education, whereas the preferences of second-generation foreigners do not significantly differ from thos…
Rejecting education as the basis of the social prestige of occupations
Bildungsökonomie – Eine Standortbestimmung
Gemessen an den zahlreichen Forschungsarbeiten auf dem Gebiet der Bildungsökonomie der letzten zehn Jahre befindet sich diese wissenschaftliche Disziplin an der Schnittstelle von Ökonomie und Erziehungswissenschaften in einem zweiten Frühling. Der vorliegende Artikel versucht, ausgewählte Themen und Erkenntnisse der jüngsten bildungsökonomischen Forschung zusammenzufassen und zu interpretieren. Die ausgewählten Themen werden dabei zwei Blöcken zu…
Übergang von Fachhochschulabsolventinnen und -absolventen in den Arbeitsmarkt – am Beispiel der HSW Bern
Mit der Schaffung der Fachhochschulen in der Schweiz ist das Bedürfnis nach Informationen über die Positionierung und Funktionstüchtigkeit dieses Zweiges des tertiären Bildungswesens stark gestiegen. Der vorliegende Artikel zeigt Resultate einer ers-ten Analyse von drei Jahrgängen von Diplomierten der Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Verwaltung in Bern (HSW). Zwei Fragestellungen stehen dabei im Vordergrund: Erstens werden aus der Sicht der Absolven…
Betrachtungen zum Arbeitsmarkt der Lehrer in der Schweiz
Der vorliegende Aufsatz untersucht anhand von zwei empirischen Studien den Arbeitsmarkt für Lehrkräfte in der Schweiz. Aufgrund dieser Analysen kann festgestellt werden, dass Universitätsabsolventen1 auch in der Schweiz eine signifikant positive Lohnelastizität aufweisen, wenn es darum geht, sich für oder gegen den Lehrberuf zu entscheiden. Gerade Absolventen in so genannten Mangelfächern an den Schulen scheinen zudem recht sensitiv auf Löhne zu …
Distance to University and Study Decisions
Individual policy preferences for vocational versus academic education
This paper uses an original dataset from a survey conducted in Switzerland in 2007 to explore the dynamics of education policy preferences. This issue has largely been neglected in that most studies on welfare state attitudes do not look at preferences for education. We argue that education policy preferences vary along two dimensions: the distribution of resources across different sectors of the education system (that is, vocational training ver…
A Gift is Not Always a Gift
We study gift exchange in a field experiment where a random subsample of participants in the Swiss Labour Force Survey received vouchers to be used in adult training. Actual voucher redemption can be traced, giving us the unique opportunity to study whether gift exchange in the form of participation in future rounds of the survey depends on the perceived usefulness of the gift. The group of voucher recipients as a whole has significantly higher r…
Monopsony Power, Pay Structure, and Training
Although interest in monopsonistic influences on labor market outcomes has revived in recent years, only a few empirical studies provide direct evidence on this topic. In this article, the authors analyze the effect of monopsony power on pay structure, using a direct measure of labor market thinness. The authors find evidence of monopsony power, as firms facing fewer local competitors offer lower wages to skilled labor and trainees, but not to un…
Better migrants, better Pisa results
Switzerland changed its migration policy in the 1990s from a "non-qualified only" policy to one of almost free movement of labor. To analyze the impact of this policy change on the schooling outcomes of children of first-generation migrants, the paper compares the PISA results of first-generation pupils in 2000 with the scores of children tested in 2009, whose parents immigrated after the policy changed. We find that around 75% of the 40-point in…
Does political orientation affect the choice of a university major
Using data from a survey of all high-school graduates in a Swiss canton, we analyze the relationship between students’ political orientation and their choice of a university major. Analyzing this question in the context of the Swiss higher education system adds to the existing literature because unlike students in other countries, Swiss students are completely free to choose their place of study and their major. The selection of a university majo…
Investigating the image deficit of vocational education and training
Vocational education and training (VET) often suffers from a lack of social standing among students and their families. Parents have been shown to discard vocational education because of social status maintenance considerations. How adults perceive the social prestige of occupations might therefore be key in understanding the reasons of the image deficit of VET. While the existing literature on occupational prestige ranking stresses the role of t…
Information provision and preferences for education spending
Do adult foreign residents prefer academic to vocational education? Evidence from a survey of public opinion in Switzerland
Using a unique and original dataset measuring preferences of adults for academic vs. vocational education in Switzerland, we explore differences between Swiss citizens and foreign residents regarding individual preferences for these different types of education. We find that first-generation foreigners exhibit stronger preferences for academic education, whereas the preferences of second-generation foreigners do not significantly differ from thos…
“Against all odds” Does awareness of the risk of failure matter for educational choices
Educational decisions are always made under uncertainty. This paper examines the effect of providing information about dropout risks on stated preferences for academic versus vocational education in Switzerland, making use of the fact that there are marked historical and cultural differences in preferences for and enrolment rates in academic vs. vocational education across the different language regions. Since there is some harmonisation in terms…
Local norms describing the role of the state and the private provision of training
Apprenticeship systems are essentially based on the voluntary participation of firms that provide, and usually also finance, training positions, often incurring considerable net training costs. One potential, yet under-researched explanation for this behavior is that firms act in accordance with the norms and expectations they face in the local labor market in which they operate. In this paper, we focus on the Swiss apprenticeship system and ask …
Sitting next to a dropout
We investigate the impact of the presence of university dropouts on the academic success of first-time students in universities of applied sciences. Our identification strategy relies on quasi-random variation in the proportion of dropouts. The estimated average zero effect of dropouts on first-time students’ success masks treatment heterogeneity and non-linearities. First, we find negative effects on the academic success of their new peers from …
The strength of gender norms and gender‐stereotypical occupational aspirations among adolescents
We empirically test the hypothesis that adolescents' occupational aspirations are more gender‐stereotypical if they live in a region where the societal norm towards gender equality is weaker. For our analysis, we combine rich survey data describing a sample of 1,434 Swiss adolescents who attended 8th grade in 2013 with municipal voting results dealing with gender equality and policy. We find that occupational aspirations predominantly follow gend…
Rejecting education as the basis of the social prestige of occupations
Learning Loss Due to School Change
We investigate the effect of changing schools on academic achievement. Using representative data on the educational trajectories of 17,000 Swiss lower secondary students and national assessment data at the end of compulsory schooling, we estimate the potential individual achievement gaps caused by a school change. While the overall effect is surprisingly small and statistically insignificant, we find a significant, but also small, negative effect…
Early exposure to foreign language training and students’ educational trajectories
We estimate the impact of a large curriculum reform in Switzerland that substantially increased the share of foreign language classes in compulsory school on students’ subsequent educational choices in upper secondary school. Our analysis focuses on students from German-speaking cantons that introduced English as the first foreign language. Using detailed student register data and exploiting the staggered implementation of the curriculum reform, …
Labour market effects of work-related continuous education in Switzerland – evidence from administrative data
This paper presents the first longitudinal estimates of the effect of work-related training on labour market outcomes in Switzerland. Using a novel dataset that links official census data on adult education to longitudinal register data on labour market outcomes, we apply a regression-adjusted matched difference-in-differences approach with entropy balancing to account for selection bias and sorting. We find that training participation increases …
Are parents an obstacle to gender-atypical occupational choices
Despite numerous measures intended to enhance gender equality, gender-specific study and career choices remain a persistent concern for policymakers and academics globally. We contribute to the literature on gendered career choices by focusing on explicitly stated parental preferences for their children’s occupations, using a large-scale randomized survey experiment with 5940 adults in Switzerland. Adolescents consistently name their parents as t…
How scary is the risk of automation? Evidence from a large-scale survey experiment
Not Just Gender
The Impact of a Preschool Childcare Expansion on Grade Progression in Early School Careers
We analyze the effects of attendance early childhood education and care (ECEC) on on-track grade progression during the first years of primary schooling. We use a subsidized expansion of the ECEC program as a natural experiment to establish a causal relationship. The results show that students in municipalities that applied for subsidies have a lower probability of grade repetition. These effects are particularly pronounced for boys and children …
Crossing individual university boundaries
Previous literature on predicting university dropouts is mainly limited to institutional dropouts. Our paper extends this narrow framework by relying on administrative data on study trajectories, covering the entire Swiss higher education system. Using machine learning techniques, we predict university dropouts at the national level, show how these prediction results differ from those using a single university perspective, and provide prediction …
Economics (15 works) · Political science (14 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Demographic economics (7 works) · School Choice and Performance (7 works) · Higher education (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Computer Science (5 works) · Economic growth (5 works) · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality (5 works)