@article {10272, title = {The Long-Run Economic Consequences of High-Stakes Examinations: Evidence from Transitory Variation in Pollution}, journal = {American Economic Journal: Applied Economics}, volume = {8}, number = {4}, year = {2016}, pages = {36-65}, abstract = {Cognitive performance during high-stakes exams can be affected byrandom disturbances that, even if transitory, may have permanentconsequences. We evaluate this hypothesis among Israeli studentswho took a series of matriculation exams between 2000 and 2002.\ Exploiting variation across the same student taking multiple exams,\ we find that transitory PM2.5 exposure is associated with a significant\ decline in student performance. We then examine these students in\ 2010 and find that PM2.5 exposure during exams is negatively associated\ with postsecondary\ educational attainment and earnings. The\ results highlight how reliance on noisy signals of student quality can\ lead to allocative inefficiency.}, author = {Ebenstein, Avraham and Victor Lavy and Sefi Roth} }