Returns To Unwanted Education

In my inequality post, I wrote, somewhat speculatively,

The returns to didactics chosen together with worked difficult for are non necessarily replicated inwards didactics subsidized or forced.

Marginal Revolution points to a nice novel paper by Pierre Mouganie making this point. From the abstract:

In 1997, the French authorities seat into trial a constabulary that permanently exempted immature French manful someone citizens born later on January 1, 1979 from mandatory military machine service field nevertheless requiring those born earlier that cutoff appointment to serve. ... conscription eligibility induces a pregnant increment inwards years of education, which is consistent alongside conscription avoidance behavior. However, this increased didactics does non outcome inwards either an increment inwards graduation rates, or inwards utilisation together with wages. Additional bear witness shows conscription has no straightaway trial on earnings, suggesting that the returns to didactics induced past times this policy was zero.