Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • More
    • Feedback
    • Request JHR at your library
    • Research Highlights
  • Alerts
  • Special Issue
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Human Resources
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Human Resources

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • More
    • Feedback
    • Request JHR at your library
    • Research Highlights
  • Alerts
  • Special Issue
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
Research ArticleArticle

Measuring Skills in Developing Countries

Rachid Laajaj and Karen Macours
Published online before print October 14, 2019, 1018-9805R1; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.56.4.1018-9805R1
Rachid Laajaj
*Rachid Laajaj is an associate professor at the Universidad de Los Andes
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Karen Macours
**Karen Macours is a professor at Paris School of Economics and INRA researcher
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Measures of cognitive, noncognitive, and technical skills are increasingly used in developing country surveys, but have mostly been validated in high-income countries. We use a survey experiment in Western Kenya to test the reliability and validity of commonly used skills measures. Cognitive skills measures are found to be reliable and internally consistent, technical skills are very noisy, and measurement error in noncognitive skills is found to be non-classical. Addressing both random and systematic measurement error using common psychometric practices and repeated measures leads to some improvements and clearer predictions, though concerns remain. These findings hold for a replication in Colombia.

Keywords
  • skills
  • measurement
  • agricultural productivity
JEL codes
  • O12
  • O13
  • O15

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
Next
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Human Resources: 58 (5)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 58, Issue 5
1 Sep 2023
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Human Resources.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Measuring Skills in Developing Countries
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Human Resources
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Human Resources web site.
Citation Tools
Measuring Skills in Developing Countries
Rachid Laajaj, Karen Macours
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2019, 1018-9805R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.56.4.1018-9805R1

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Measuring Skills in Developing Countries
Rachid Laajaj, Karen Macours
Journal of Human Resources Oct 2019, 1018-9805R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.56.4.1018-9805R1
Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Careers and Mismatch for College Graduates
  • The Impact of Prior Learning Assessments on College Completion and Financial Outcomes
  • How Far Is Too Far? New Evidence on Abortion Clinic Closures, Access, and Abortions
Show more Article

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • Skills
  • measurement
  • agricultural productivity
  • O12
  • O13
  • O15
UWP

© 2023 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire