Micro · Individual Stub 1973

Job Market Signaling Theory

신호 이론

A Nobel-winning information economics theory demonstrating how high-productivity individuals acquire costly credentials (such as higher education) to signal their unobservable quality to employers, resolving adverse selection.

Field Economics · Education
Level of analysis Micro · Individual
Paradigm Rational Choice Institutionalism
Key figures 👤 Michael Spence (마이클 스펜스)
Year 1973

Key Claims

Michael Spence demonstrated that in markets with asymmetrical information, observable credentials function as signals if signaling costs are negatively correlated with productive capability. High-ability workers invest in education to distinguish themselves, generating a separating equilibrium.

Further Reading

  • Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.

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