This special issue was inspired by Greg Duncan and Saul Hoffman's 1981 article on the "incidence and wage effects of overeducation." These researchers used a Mincer earnings equation to determine that a substantial number of American workers were over- or under-educated for their chosen occupations. (MLH)

Hypothesizes that the labor market recognizes differences in the educational quality and quantity of urban and suburban education and rewards young workers accordingly. Estimating earnings equations for African-American and white youths shows that attendance at a central city high school does, indeed, lower earnings between 4 and 10 percent. (12…