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The Effects of Elite Sports on Later Job Success

SOEPpapers 705, 39 S.

Ralf Dewenter, Leonie Giessing

2014

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Abstract

This paper analyses the income effect of the participation in elite sports. To quantify the average difference in the monthly net income of former elite athletes and non-athletes we estimate sample average treatment effect scores (SATT) by using covariate nearest-neighbour matching (CVM). While our treatment group consists of formerly funded top-level athletes, the control group of non-athletes is drawn from the SOEP database. Matching takes place by socio-demographic variables as well as measures of personal qualities and attitudes. On average, former athletes receive higher incomes than similar non-athletes. The income premium for former team sports and male athletes is even higher. Comparing the income of former female athletes with male non-athletes, we find that the participation in elite sports closes the gender-wage gap. Our results are robust to variations in the specification and statistically as well economically significant.



JEL-Classification: C49;J30;L83
Keywords: Funding of elite sports, nearest-neighbor matching, job success, gender-wage gap
Frei zugängliche Version: (econstor)
http://hdl.handle.net/10419/104608

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