Title | The Effect of Vietnam-Era Conscription and Genetic Potential for Educational Attainment on Schooling Outcomes. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2017 |
Authors | Schmitz, LL, Conley, DC |
Journal | Economics of Education Review |
Volume | 61 |
Pagination | 85-97 |
ISSN Number | 0272-7757 |
Keywords | Education, Genetics, GWAS, PGS, Veterans |
Abstract | This study examines whether draft lottery estimates of the causal effects of Vietnam-era military service on schooling vary by an individual's genetic propensity toward educational attainment. To capture the complex genetic architecture that underlies the bio-developmental pathways, behavioral traits and evoked environments associated with educational attainment, we construct polygenic scores (PGS) for respondents in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) that aggregate thousands of individual loci across the human genome and weight them by effect sizes derived from a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of years of education. Our findings suggest veterans with below average PGSs for educational attainment may have completed fewer years of schooling than comparable non-veterans. On the other hand, we do not find any difference in the educational attainment of veterans and non-veterans with above average PGSs. Results indicate that public policies and exogenous environments may induce heterogeneous treatment effects by genetic disposition. |
DOI | 10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.10.001 |
User Guide Notes | |
Alternate Journal | Econ Educ Rev |
Citation Key | 9514 |
PubMed ID | 29375175 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC5785107 |
Grant List | T32 AG000221 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States U01 AG009740 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P30 AG012846 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States P2C HD047879 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States R00 AG056599 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States K99 AG056599 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States |