Essays on human capital accumulation in contexts of crisis and digitalization of the economy

Considering the above, this doctoral dissertation is composed of five chapters, the first of which is this introduction. Chapter 2 analyzes the effects of COVID-19 on secondary school students, focusing primarily on industrialized economies. Using data from the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey and a model (methodology), results are compared with previous administrations to assess the influence of school closures on non- cognitive skills in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. According to the research, students in the PISA 2022 cohort experienced a 0.07 standard deviation loss in their sense of belonging to school, a 0.14 standard deviation increase in fixed mindset, and a 3% decrease in the likelihood of being frequently bullied, compared to previous cohorts. It is also found that the pandemic disproportionately affected non-cognitive skills among girls, migrants and economically disadvantaged students, increasing bullying and promoting fixed mindset. In addition, it is observed that learning deficits for those students with high levels of sense of belonging and growth mindset were approximately one school year for reading and half a year for math and science, whereas, for frequently bullied students, COVID- related losses averaged 1.5 school years in reading, math, and science. Chapter 3 explores how the abrupt transition to online education impacted the academic performance of higher education students in a developing economy, which, although it has been a topic of interest since the beginning of the pandemic, contains a differential contribution by not focusing the study on traditional measures such as standardized tests and dropout rates, but rather on the analysis of value added (a concept that approximates the accumulation of human capital) and the specific challenges faced by low-income students. The results suggest negative impacts on both value-added and standardized tests. However, when accounting for students ́ sociodemographic characteristics and field of knowledge, the results are heterogeneous, the results indicate heterogeneity in the immediate effect of COVID-19, as well as in the resilience of the system and higher education institutions. Chapter 4 explores the relationship between remote work and labor market outcomes, drawing on multiple sources of information, including household surveys, job postings, and firm surveys. Different approaches are employed to assess the effect of remote work on wages, job satisfaction and hours worked. The chapter also delves into crucial mechanisms: at the household level, it 17 highlights the unpaid at home, while at the firm level, it investigates the effects of remote work on productivity and labor share withing the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and firms' technological capabilities. Additionally, using Natural Language Processing (NLP), a similarity index is developed to compare in person and remote jobs. This dual analysis from supply and demand perspective provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and effects of remote work in a developing country.