RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 An Evaluation of Instrumental Variable Strategies for Estimating the Effects of Catholic Schooling
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 791
OP 821
DO 10.3368/jhr.XL.4.791
VO XL
IS 4
A1 Joseph G. Altonji
A1 Todd E. Elder
A1 Christopher R. Taber
YR 2005
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/XL/4/791.abstract
AB Several previous studies have relied on religious affiliation and the proximity to Catholic schools as exogenous sources of variation for identifying the effect of Catholic schooling on a wide variety of outcomes. Using three separate approaches, we examine the validity of these instrumental variables. We find that none of the candidate instruments is a useful source of identification in currently available data sets. We also investigate the role of exclusion restrictions versus nonlinearity as the source of identification in bivariate probit models. The analysis may be useful as a template for the assessment of instrumental variables strategies in other applications.