How educational choices respond to large labor market shocks: Evidence from a natural experiment

Abstract

This paper uses the closure of the Israeli labor market as a large labor market shock and examines its impact on Palestinian youths’ educational choices. The sudden closure denied thousands of Palestinian workers, mostly low-skilled males, access to the Israeli labor market. We provide evidence that the conflict-induced labor demand shock reduced the opportunity cost of attending school and consequently, male students’ high school dropout rates.