Kristian Koerselman*

July 24, 2022

I am the resident education economist at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research. My research is empirical, and mostly centered around educational selection. I also hang around at the local econ department, and teach intermediate and advanced microeconomics courses there.
keywords: economics of education, curriculum tracking, intergenerational mobility, gender differences, student finance, school choice, college admissions
JEL: C33, I20, I21, I22, I23, I24, I28, J08, J16, J24, J31

* Senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, and at the Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics.

1. Introduction

Contact info, Gen X:
kristian.w.koerselman@jyu.fi (university managed)
koerselman@economistatwork.com (protonmail)
http://economistatwork.com


"A picture."
Figure 1: A picture, somewhat off-center.

Contact info, other generations:
+358 404167016
+46 721473530

PO Box 35
FI-40014 University of Jyväskylä
FINLAND

visitors by appointment at
Ruusupuisto building, room A339
Alvar Aallon katu 9

2. Data and Methods

"Kristian has an economist mouth, but a social sciences heart."
Figure 2: Kristian recording a lecture early pandemic.

3. Results

3.1 Teaching

KTTA2150 Microeconomics I
KTTS2120 Strategic Thinking, Competition and Pricing

3.2 Research

"Sibling correlations in academic careers."
Figure 3: Yes, Finnish academics are clustered by the family they grew up in. But only partially, and a large share of the between-family differences in academic careers are visible already by the end of high school.
We sometimes think we live in an exclusionist ivory tower, but by our measure, academics are no more sorted by family background than e.g. high school graduates. The majority of academic success is not attributable to family background at all.
It is important to study the obstacles which first generation academics face. Our paper suggests that individual experiences are highly varied, and the usual socioeconomic labels far too coarse for this context.
→ It runs in the family? Using sibling similarities to uncover the hidden influence of family background in doctoral education and academic careers.

"We are not admitting the most eligible students."
Figure 4: We are not admitting the most eligible students. The reasons are complicated, but at the same time pretty simple. → Why Finnish polytechnics reject top applicants.

"Do girls do better in school because they enter puberty earlier?"
Figure 5: Do girls do better in school because they enter puberty earlier? Well.. maybe? But magnitudes are underwhelming compared to typical gender gaps in educational outcomes. → Cognitive consequences of the timing of puberty.

4. Unsubstantiated conclusions

Be kind to each other.

A1. FAQ

Q: "Körselman"?
A: Try "Kuu" as in "Kuusamo". In fact, pronouncing all of Koerselman as Kuusamo isn't a bad approximation at all.

Q: I read online that Dutchmen are very direct, but I am much more direct than you.
A: Students would cry.

Q: Are you being mean to me?
A: Not intentionally.

Q: Are you secretly disappointed in me?
A: That seems unlikely.

Q: I sent you an email, but you haven't answered.
A: Remind me.

Q: You were supposed to do the Thing, but you haven't.
A: Remind me.

Q: We have a zoom meeting right now, but you haven't turned up.
A: Call me.

Q: Are you busy?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I bother you?
A: Also yes.

Q: I have a stupid question.
A: Stupid questions never come from those who pause to wonder whether their question is stupid. Just ask.