The returns to the quantity and quality of education: Evidence for men in England and Wales

Until the late 1960s, state schooling in England and Wales was determined b y an ability test of pupils at age 11 which had an effect on both the quant ity and quality of education. By estimating the relationship between earnin gs and earlier schooling during a period when school areas changed from sel ective to non-selective education, we consider how the returns to the quant ity of education are confounded by differences in the quality of schooling and whether the effects of quality are confounded by its correlation with q uantity. Our results confirm recent evidence that returns to education quan tity are large and quality effects are small.