Student Loans and Labor Supply Incentives

Feb 17, 2026

Gustavo Manso, Alejandro Rivera, Hui (Grace) Wang, Han Xia

Working Paper No. 00202-00

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We develop a dynamic household finance model showing that student loans --  non-dischargeable in the U.S. bankruptcy -- alleviate the well-documented debt overhang in labor supply decisions. Non-dischargeability mutes opportunities for households to strategically reduce labor supply at the expense of creditors, thus mitigating incentive distortions. This effect, however, is partially undone by Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans, which set student loan payments formulaically regardless of outstanding balance. IDR thus allows households to pseudo-discharge student debt and re-activates debt overhang. We provide supporting empirical analyses and derive policy implications regarding student loan reforms, adverse selection, and human capital investment.


Gustavo Manso

Gustavo Manso

UC Berkeley

Hui (Grace) Wang

Hui (Grace) Wang

Han Xia

Han Xia