We study how leadership experiences before labor market entry affect subsequent labor market performance, using a regression discontinuity design to isolate the causal effects. The design is applied to elections of representatives at Swedish student union (SU) councils. Archive data on winning and losing candidates at three major Swedish universities are mapped to register data on their subsequent labor market careers. The results show that students who acquired a position in the SU councils are more likely to have a rapid transition into employment than candidates who just missed getting to get such a leadership role. The employment effects are not confined to workplaces, organizations, or industries where previous candidates are employed, suggesting that the benefits of having been a student representative are general in nature. Elected representatives are more likely to hold a well-paid job within three years, but not thereafter. Overall, our estimates suggest that leadership experiences before labor market entry boost individuals’ initial career trajectories, whereas mid-term outcomes appear unaffected.

中文翻译：

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领导经验、劳动力市场进入和早期职业轨迹

我们研究了进入劳动力市场之前的领导经验如何影响随后的劳动力市场表现，使用回归不连续性设计来隔离因果效应。该设计适用于瑞典学生会 (SU) 理事会的代表选举。瑞典三所主要大学的获胜和失败候选人的存档数据被映射到他们随后的劳动力市场职业的登记数据。结果表明，在 SU 理事会中获得职位的学生比刚刚错过获得这种领导角色的候选人更有可能快速过渡到就业。就业影响不仅限于以前候选人受雇的工作场所、组织或行业，这表明作为学生代表的好处在本质上是普遍的。Elected representatives are more likely to hold a well-paid job within three years, but not thereafter. 总体而言，我们的估计表明，进入劳动力市场之前的领导经验会促进个人的初始职业轨迹，而中期结果似乎不受影响。