The end of work feels near. How do people perceive the impact of digital technologies and automation?
Abstract
In this paper, we assess the impact of auditing final high school grades on educational and labour market outcomes, leveraging a 2007 reform in Italy that introduced external examiners. We extend the combined fixed effects method to estimate how the reform increased the earnings returns to higher education. We find that 90% of the reform effect is across occupations and higher for women. We show this impact was mediated by different higher education choices, unlocking opportunities in occupations and earnings they wouldn’t have had otherwise. We conclude that grade inflation associated to internal teachers assessment has detrimental effects on both educational and labour market outcomes.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Digital Economy and Work Transformation
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Labour Economics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Volume
- 102
- Pages
- 102897–102897
- Publication date
- 26 May 2026
- Language
- EN