Understanding and Managing Military Personnel Quality

We survey the literature on personnel quality, highlighting unanswered questions as well as common methodological problems that sabotage many lines of research. The literature is most problematic where it estimates the returns to skills (such as AFQT scores or personality traits) or estimates latent quality from promotion paths; the literature is strongest where it estimates the return to specific training programs. Many of the methodological problems stem from selection bias, which can be addressed with more comprehensive data.