Human Capital Versus Sorting: The Effects of Compulsory Attendance Laws
检验义务教育法是否通过信号筛选效应提高高能力劳动者的受教育程度，发现法律间接提高了未直接受影响年龄组的入学率，支持信号筛选假说而非人力资本假说。
Under the educational sorting hypothesis a state compulsory school attendance law will increase the educational attainment of high-ability workers who are not directly affected by the law. Under the human capital hypothesis such laws affect only those individuals whose behavior is directly constrained. We find that compulsory attendance laws do increase enrollment rates in age groups they do not affect directly. Thus, our results contradict the human capital hypothesis and are consistent with the sorting hypothesis.