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on Education |
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Issue of 2007‒02‒03
six papers chosen by Joao Carlos Correia Leitao University of the Beira Interior |
| By: | Axel Dreher (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich); Peter Nunnenkamp (The Kiel Institute for the World Economy); Rainer Thiele (The Kiel Institute for the World Economy) |
| Abstract: | This paper empirically analyzes the impact of aid on education for about 100 countries over the period 1970-2005. We estimate a system of equations to test whether and to what extent the impact of sector-specific aid on educational attainment depends on (i) the extent to which aid adds to overall educational expenditure of the recipient government, (ii) the strength of the link between government expenditure and education, (iii) the quality of institutions in the recipient country, and (iv) whether aid encourages institutional reforms. According to our results, aid significantly increases primary school enrolment. This result is robust to the method of estimation, employing instruments to control for the endogeneity of aid, and the measure of institutional quality employed. The degree of institutional quality, however, has no robust impact on this relationship. |
| Keywords: | Aid effectiveness, Education, Sector-specific aid |
| JEL: | F35 O11 H52 I22 |
| Date: | 2006–08 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kof:wpskof:06-146&r=edu |
| By: | Frenette, Marc |
| Abstract: | In this study, I explore the relationship between the presence of a local university in a city and university and college participation among local youth. The evidence is drawn from Census data, along with information on the creation of new university degree-granting institutions in Canada. Students who do not have access to a local university are far less likely to go on to university than students who grew up near a university, likely due to the added cost of moving away to attend, as opposed to differences in other factors (e.g., family income, parental education, academic achievement). When distant students are faced with a local option, however, their probability of attendance substantially increases. Specifically, the creation of a local degree-granting institution is associated with a 28.1% increase in university attendance among local youth, and large increases were registered in each city affected. However, the increase in university participation came at the expense of college participation in most cities. Furthermore, not everyone benefited equally from new universities. In particular, students from lower income families saw the largest increase in university participation, which is consistent with the notion that distance poses a financial barrier. Also, local aboriginal youth only saw a slight increase in university participation when faced with a local university option. |
| Keywords: | Education, training and learning, Outcomes of education |
| Date: | 2007–01–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:stc:stcp3e:2006283e&r=edu |
| By: | Susan Woodman |
| Abstract: | The new campus of Queen Margaret University College in the United Kingdom is designed to be a sustainable educational and community resource. Early consultation with students and staff on the campus design revealed a strong desire for a sustainable environment, with plenty of green space for all to enjoy. In response to this, the design focuses on maximising biodiversity, encouraging green transport, and making the most of natural daylight and ventilation in interior spaces. The Queen Margaret RE:LOCATE project will transform 35 acres of low grade farmland into diverse wildlife habitats to provide the parkland setting. The campus will be open to the public for leisure, education and recreation. |
| Keywords: | sustainable development |
| Date: | 2006–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:eduaaa:2006/9-en&r=edu |
| By: | Axel Dreher (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich); Michael J. Lamla (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich); Sarah M. Rupprecht (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich); Frank Somogyi (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich) |
| Abstract: | This paper analyzes whether the educational and professional background of a head of government matters for the implementation of market-liberalizing reforms. Employing panel data over the period 1970-2002, we present empirical evidence based on a novel data set covering profession and education of more than 500 political leaders from 73 countries. Our results show that entrepreneurs, professional scientists, and trained economists are significantly more reform oriented. Contrary, union executives tend to impede reforms. We also highlight interactions between profession and education with time in office and the political leaning of the ruling party. |
| Keywords: | Reforms, Economic Policy, Economic Freedom, Interest Groups, Lobbying |
| JEL: | D72 E61 H11 |
| Date: | 2006–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kof:wpskof:06-147&r=edu |
| By: | Axel Dreher (Department of Management, Technology, and Economics, ETH Zurich); Panu Poutvaara (University of Helsinki, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | Using panel data for 78 countries of origin we examine the impact of student flows to the United States on subsequent migration there over the period 1971-2001. What we find is that the stock of foreign students is an important predictor of subsequent migration. This holds true whether or not the lagged endogenous variable is included. The relationship is robust to the inclusion of time and country dummies, and remains when we account for outliers. The basic results also hold for a cross section of 36 countries of origin and 9 host countries. Our results have important policy implications which we discuss in the last section. |
| Keywords: | Migration, Education, Student Flows, Brain Drain |
| JEL: | F22 I2 J61 O15 |
| Date: | 2006–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:kof:wpskof:06-142&r=edu |
| By: | Becker, Sascha O.; Wößmann, Ludger |
| Abstract: | Max Weber attributed the higher economic prosperity of Protestant regions to a Protestant work ethic. We provide an alternative theory, where Protestant economies prospered because instruction in reading the Bible generated the human capital crucial to economic prosperity. County-level data from late 19th-century Prussia reveal that Protestantism was indeed associated not only with higher economic prosperity, but also with better education. We find that Protestants’ higher literacy can account for the whole gap in economic prosperity. Results hold when we exploit the initial concentric dispersion of the Reformation to use distance to Wittenberg as an instrument for Protestantism. |
| Keywords: | Human capital; Protestantism; economic history |
| JEL: | N33 Z12 I20 |
| Date: | 2007–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lmu:muenec:1366&r=edu |