Why cognitive test scores of Spanish adults are so low? The role of schooling and socioeconomic background
Series: Working Papers. 2038.
Author: Brindusa Anghel, Pilar Cuadrado and Federico Tagliati.
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Abstract
We explore the cognitive skill gap between the adult population in Spain and in the rest of European Union countries using the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. We find that differences in schooling account for about a third of the average difference in cognitive test scores, whereas differences in socio-economic background explain about one fourth of the average score gap. While cognitive skill gaps are increasing along the distribution of test scores, differences in educational stocks and socio-economic factors explain a larger fraction of the gap at the bottom than at the top of the skill distribution.