Oil Boom Lowers Human Capital Investment in Texas

Relative wages in Texas rose during the 1970s oil boom, increasing the opportunity cost of staying in school. Comparing Texas-born cohorts who graduated from high school during the oil boom with those in the pre-boom period suggests that the boom negatively affected college enrollment. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.