教育过度:社会学视阈下的解释

教育过度自20世纪70年代产生以来,国内外学界都对其理论进行了比较全面的阐述,而我国学界基本上是套用西方学界在这一问题上的解释理论,且这些有关教育过度的解释理论大都基于经济学的角度。本文认为教育过度现象不仅有经济学的解释理论也有社会学视阈的解释理论,多学科的探讨会使教育过度现象更好地得到澄清。     

过度教育:西方的研究与经验

当个体实际接受的教育水平高于其所从事工作的教育要求时，就会出现过度教育。70年代以来，西方发达国家劳动力市场中普遍存在着过度教育现象。西方经济学家对此进行了深入的理论和实证研究。本文从过度教育的测量及其发生率、对过度教育的理论解释以及过度教育对个人收的影响等方面作了述评，并提出了对我国教育发展的启示意义。     

过度教育的经验研究--基于对3家企业的调查

随着我国高等教育的扩展，越来越多受过高等教育的劳动力涌入市场，他们就业难的问题也随之突显。毕业生失业率不断上升，与此同时，很多受教育从事了与自己教育水平不匹配的工作。他们的教育技能得不到充分发挥，受教育的经济地位相对于以前有所下降。我国是否发生了过度教育?本由此对三个不同类型的企业进行经验研究，研究结果表明，这些企业不同程度地发生了过度教育，过度教育工人的收入受到了损失。     

西方关于过度教育的研究与启示

二战后，西方发达国家大幅度增加了对教育的投资，教育规模得到了空前的发展。到上世纪70年代，大量从业人员的实际教育水平明显超过了其所从事工作对教育的要求，被西方教育经济学家称为过度教育现象。本文从导致过度教育产生的原因出发，综合分析了西方社会关于过度教育发生率、过度教育与劳动生产力、过度教育与教育质量、过度教育与个体收益率等方面的理论和实证研究，并探讨了这些研究对我国社会经济和高等教育发展的启示。     

当前"知识失业"是过度教育还是教育深化?

对于当前部分大学生“毕业即失业”问题 ,不少人认为在我国已经出现了过度教育 ,这种观点值得商榷。所谓过度教育 (over -education) ,是指受过较高教育的劳动力供给过度增加 ,导致了越来越多的高学历的劳动力从事低学历者就可以完成的工作 ,这一现象被西方学者称为过度教育。Rumberger( 1981)等人认为过度教育有三个含义 :一是相对于历史上较高水平者而言 ,受过教育者的经济地位下降 ;二是指受过教育者未能实现其对事业成就之期望 ;三是指工人拥有比他的工作要求更高的技能 ,这些技能没有充分发挥。简言之 ,当个体接受的教育水平高于工作…     

过度教育与我国高等教育发展

所谓过度教育,是指人们的实际教育水平和所从事工作需要的教育水平比较而言,如果前者大于后者,称为过度教育(Overeducation);如果两者相等,称为工作所需教育(EducationRequiredinJob);如果前者小于后者,称为教育不足(Undereducation)。美国教育经济学家莱文(Levin)认为,过度教育包含三个含义:一是相对于历史上较高水平者,其受过教育后经济地位的下降:二是受过教育者未能实现其对事业成就的期望;三是工人拥有比其工作要求较高的教育技能。从过度教育的概念来看,它所关注的是个体的教育水平与从事工作对教育的要求,尽管我国目前的整体教育…     

过度教育、逆向选择和制度创新

过度教育是指个体实际接受的教育水平高于其所从事工作的教育要求,这一现象在发达国家和发展中国家都是普遍存在的。过度教育对整个社会来说,具有一定的负面影响。因此,应进行适当的制度创新对过度教育进行修正,以减小过度教育所带来的负面影响。     

我国过度教育产生的经济学分析

在高等教育大众化进程中,随着教育规模的迅速扩张,我国开始出现过度教育。文章从教育与劳动力市场关系的视角,梳理了教育经济学中解释过度教育产生的理论模型,并在此基础上对我国高等教育过度产生的原因及对策进行了分析和探讨。     

中国过度教育的收入效应

用ORU模型估算我国过度教育的收入效应,结果表明:过度教育收益率为正值,但小于工作所需教育收益率,说明个人发生过度教育仍可获得收益,但收入会受到损失。分工种、分行业和地区的估算表明:在教育水平和工作技术层次紧密相关的工作领域,教育和工作配置关系对配置程度较高的工种收入影响很大,如专业人员和技术工人;相反,对配置程度较低的工种收入影响较小,如办事员。在竞争性强和收入低的部门和地区,过度教育收益率较低,或者不显著。相反,在垄断程度和收入越高的行业和地区,过度教育收益率越高,这可以解释即使发生过度教育、受教育者如何仍然愿意在该类地区和行业工作。     

改造工作论视域下的大学生“低层次就业”

近年来,我国大学生就业形势日益严峻,岗位竞争异常激烈,不少大学生靠"挤占"低学历者的工作岗位而获就业。此现象与多数发达国家在高等教育大众化阶段出现的情况相似,因此被称为"低层次就业"或"教育过度"现象。对此,马丁·特罗的"改造工作论"却有另一番解读:大众高等教育主要培养的是技术精英,由于其拥有更丰富的应用与职业技能,因此一旦从事低层次工作,便能较好地发挥创造性来改造和改善"低层次"工作状况;"教育过度"有时是个体为提升自身素质而对教育产生的需求,这种需求产生的教育过度具有不可控和不确定性,未必都是政策失误所致。显然,"改造工作论"的观点更全面、客观与积极,它以独特的视角将"低层次就业"与个体发挥创造性联系起来,这或许能为化解大学生的就业困惑提供一种新的思路。     

The impact of overeducation on earnings in China

The paper estimates the returns to overeducation by the Over-Required and Undereducation (ORU) model. The estimated results indicate that the returns to overeducation are positive, but lower than the returns to required education, which suggests that while overeducated employees’ earnings are diminished, they still can benefit from it. The paper also attempts to estimate the returns to overeducation by occupations, industries and regions. The result shows that in the field where educational level has much to do with the skills required by employers, education-job match has a greater effect on one’s earnings, such as professionals and skilled persons. On the contrary, education-job mismatch has little effect on one’s earnings, such as non-skilled employees, administrative and clerical employees. In addition, the returns to overeducation are lower or insignificant for those working in competitive but lower paid industries and areas. Conversely, the returns to overeducation are higher for those working in the highly monopolized and highly paid industry and area. It can be argued that regardless of the incidence of overeducation, those with higher level of education prefer to choose the lower level of job in these industries and areas.     

The rising incidence of overeducation in the U.S. Labor market

Research is reported that examines changes between 1960 and 1976 in the incidence of overeducation, defined as the discrepancy between the educational attainments of workers and the educational requirements of their jobs. Estimates are derived at the aggregate level and separately for race and sex groups. Results suggest that the overall incidence of overeducation has increased in recent times because the skill requirements of jobs have changed only slightly, while the educational attainments of workers have increased substantially. Whites continue to be less overeducated than blacks, but the gap has narrowed.     

中国过度教育的收入效应

The paper estimates the returns to overeducation by the Over-Required and Undereducation (ORU) model. The estimated results indicate that the returns to overeducation are positive, but lower than the returns to required education, which suggests that while overeducated employees’ earnings are diminished, they still can benefit from it. The paper also attempts to estimate the returns to overeducation by occupations, industries and regions. The result shows that in the field where educational level has much to do with the skills required by employers, education-job match has a greater effect on one’s earnings, such as professionals and skilled persons. On the contrary, education-job mismatch has little effect on one’s earnings, such as non-skilled employees, administrative and clerical employees. In addition, the returns to overeducation are lower or insignificant for those working in competitive but lower paid industries and areas. Conversely, the returns to overeducation are higher for those working in the highly monopolized and highly paid industry and area. It can be argued that regardless of the incidence of overeducation, those with higher level of education prefer to choose the lower level of job in these industries and areas. __________ Translated from Beijing Daxue Jiaoyu Pinglun 北京大学教育评论 (Peking University Education Review), 2007, 5(2): 136–146     

过度教育的经济学分析及政策选择

当个体所受教育水平和工作技术水平不匹配,或者个体所受教育水平高于工作需求水平,就会发生过度教育的现象。由于教育快速扩展,我国虽然总体属于教育不足的国家,但不同程度地发生了过度教育现象,其实质有别于西方国家,我国过度教育是制度约束下教育和就业矛盾的产物。过度教育使个人乃至国家的经济价值都会受到损失,要求政府、企业和高校采取相应的措施控制过度教育。     

Stuck in a mismatch? The persistence of overeducation during twenty years of the post-communist transition in Poland

This paper examines long-term changes in the persistence of overeducation among individual workers, focusing on the relationship between the rate of those changes and the general economic situation. All analyses are based on data from the Polish Panel Survey (POLPAN) conducted throughout the post-communist transition period, 1988–2008. The results suggest that being in a job with too low educational requirements is stable through time and raises the probability of experiencing the same situation five years later. The incidence of overeducation increased in the studied period, most rapidly during recession. The youngest cohorts, workers aged 26–35 in 2008, faced a higher risk of persistent overqualification than other cohorts. These findings are consistent with Thurow's job competition theory, as well as Sattinger's job assignment model.     

Overeducation in developing economies: How can we test for it, and what does it mean?

A worker is said to be overeducated if he/she has acquired more education than is required to perform his/her job. In the absence of data measuring the number of years of schooling required to perform particular jobs, we propose a new approach to testing for overeducation. Overeducation is confirmed if we observe that education levels rose in jobs that offer very low returns to education and that underwent little technological change. Using labor force surveys from four developing countries, we find evidence of overeducation in unskilled jobs in the Philippines, mild evidence in Mexico, and little evidence in India and Thailand. We show that a job's mean and modal years of schooling are poor proxies for required education. We also show that overeducation sometimes increases within unskilled jobs, even while a growing share of educated workers enter skilled jobs. This may be because the quality of education segments the labor market.     

Returns to overeducation: A longitudinal analysis of the U.S. labor market

Studies examining the wage effect of overeducation have generated very consistent results. Their findings suggest that, for workers with similar educational attainment, workers who are overeducated for the job suffer from significant wage penalties. However, most studies use cross-sectional data, implicitly assuming that workers are randomly assigned to being overeducated. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for the period 1979–2005, this study conducts a panel analysis to account for time-constant individual characteristics. It uses a numerical approach to provide the wage effects in the presence of non-classical measurement error in the educational mismatch variables. The results provide evidence that overeducated status does not cause lower earnings. Instead, the significant wage differential found in previous studies is simply a result of ignoring the non-random assignment of workers to jobs.     

Overeducation and the returns to enterprise-related schooling

This paper examines the relation between overeducation and enterprise-related schooling. If overeducation and enterprise-related schooling are substitutes the social costs of Overeducation are less. We find that correctly allocated workers have the highest probability of participation in enterprise-related schooling, while undereducated workers have the lowest probability of participation. There is no evidence of overeducation and enterprise-related schooling being either substitutes or complements. If we do not correct for self-selection, the average return on a year of education for correctly allocated workers is higher than the average rate of return to education for under- and overeducated workers. If we correct for self-selection in the participation in enterprise-related schooling the rate of return to education increases. The rates of return to under- and overeducation increase as well. If we correct for self-selection the rate of return to a year of undereducation becomes higher than the rate of return to a year of actual education. For undereducated workers the wage gain of participation in enterprise-related schooling is higher than for a correctly allocated worker. A year of Overeducation decreases the wage gain of participation in enterprise-related schooling for participants.     

Overeducation on the Belgian labour market: evaluation and analysis of the explanatory factors through two types of approaches

This paper examines the incidence and determinants of overeducation in the Belgian private sector. Two different approaches are used to define overeducation by means of data on characteristics of employees and employers. Using the 1995 Structure of Earnings Survey, between 22% and 24% of the workforce is found to be overeducated. Results support the idea that employers view labour market experience as a substitute for formal education. They also show that male workers and people employed in state‐owned firms are less affected by overeducation. Further results suggest that the size of the establishment has a very weak (negative) impact on overeducation.