TY  - JOUR
AU  - Carrell,Scott E.
AU  - Fullerton,Richard L.
AU  - West,James E.
TI  - Does Your Cohort Matter? Measuring Peer Effects in College Achievement
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 14032
PY  - 2008
Y2  - May 2008
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w14032
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w14032.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Scott E. Carrell
Department of Economics
University of California, Davis
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
Tel: 530/302-1038
Fax: 530/752-9382
E-Mail: secarrell@ucdavis.edu

Richard Fullerton
Department of Economics and Geosciences
U.S. Air Force Academy #6K100
2354 Fairchild Hall
USAF Academy, CO 80840
E-Mail: richard.fullerton@usafa.edu

James West
Baylor University
Department of Economics
One Bear Place # 98003
Waco, TX  76798-8003
Tel: 254-710-6126
Fax: 254-710-6142
E-Mail: J_West@baylor.edu
AB  - To estimate peer effects in college achievement we exploit a unique dataset in which individuals have been exogenously assigned to peer groups of about 30 students with whom they are required to spend the majority of their time interacting. This feature enables us to estimate peer effects that are more comparable to changing the entire cohort of peers. Using this broad peer group, we find academic peer effects of much larger magnitude than found in previous studies that have measured peer effects among roommates alone. We find the peer effects persist at a diminishing rate into the sophomore, junior, and senior years, indicating social network peer effects may have long lasting effects on academic achievement. Our findings also suggest that peer effects may be working through study partnerships versus operating through establishment of a social norm of effort.
ER  -