"The overarching aim of this research project is to study the labour-market returns to postsecondary education in both Europe and the United States. Postsecondary educational offerings are constantly evolving, but the labour-market returns to many of these offerings are not well understood. Dr. Jepsen will use state-of-the-art techniques to produce and disseminate peer-reviewed economics journal articles that will advance the Work Programme in Economics by increasing economists’ understanding of the labour-market returns to postsecondary education. The fellowship will enable the researcher to integrate his research from years of employment and education in the United States to Europe.The first research objective of the project is to study the labour-market returns to the General Educational Development (GED). The GED is a test for individuals who do not complete secondary school in the U.S. Specific tasks for this objective are to complete one GED paper and submit a follow-up paper to an economics journal.The second objective of the project is to conduct research on proprietary (also known as for-profit) universities in the United States. Detailed administrative data on proprietary school attendance and labour-market outcomes have been collected. Specific tasks for this objective include producing and disseminating one or more research papers on proprietary universities.The third objective of the project is to use the expertise on labour-market returns gained in the first two objectives to initiate a research agenda on the returns to postsecondary education in Europe. The focus is on institutions such as Institutes of Technology in Ireland that, like proprietary schools in the U.S., have fewer entry and completion requirements than traditional undergraduate universities. Specific tasks for this objective include producing one research paper focusing on Europe."