Another reason I’ve been thinking about recently is the fact that most people forget most of the knowledge they learned in school, very soon after finishing school. I don’t think there’s a plausible mechanism by which this forgotten knowledge generates benefits for the individual or wider society.
It’s quite likely imo that the primary intellectual benefit of school is not knowledge (easily forgotten) but the learned cognitive endurance that makes it easier to do cognitively demanding jobs later in life. Those jobs are also better paid, and they have larger benefits to society in terms of helping a country grow. If this is the main benefit, then negative spillovers likely won’t be large, because they are taking jobs that less educated people couldn’t do. Plus, noncognitive benefits of school, in terms of better socialization, are real.
I’m not aware of direct evidence on negative spillovers, but it’s also important to point out that positive spillovers are also very plausible. More educated people can help their peers learn, not just in the classroom but also on the job. Plus if more educated people are better able to create successful businesses, then they create jobs for others in a positive-sum way.
It’s quite likely imo that the primary intellectual benefit of school is not knowledge (easily forgotten) but the learned cognitive endurance that makes it easier to do cognitively demanding jobs later in life. Those jobs are also better paid, and they have larger benefits to society in terms of helping a country grow. If this is the main benefit, then negative spillovers likely won’t be large, because they are taking jobs that less educated people couldn’t do. Plus, noncognitive benefits of school, in terms of better socialization, are real.
I’m not aware of direct evidence on negative spillovers, but it’s also important to point out that positive spillovers are also very plausible. More educated people can help their peers learn, not just in the classroom but also on the job. Plus if more educated people are better able to create successful businesses, then they create jobs for others in a positive-sum way.