Education and economic growth

Contemporary views on the determinants of economic growth place education in centre stage. Yet the way in which education affects growth is not yet well understood. This paper begins by surveying the recent literature on the factors that affect growth, paying particular attention to education. It then proceeds to estimate a comprehensive model of growth, testing its robustness across regions of the world. Policy conclusions are drawn

A new look at gender effects in participation and occupation choice

The growth in female labour participation and occupational attainment represents the most dramatic feature of labour markets in the second half of the twentieth century. This has been due in part to developments in social attitudes and the consequent changes in the prices attached to women's characteristics, and in part to changes in those characteristics themselves. This paper analyses these issues by constructing models of participation and occupational choice for the years 1970 and 1990, and then by evaluating which participation and occupation regimes would have been selected by respondents with the characteristics of women observed in 1970 had they faced the coefficients which obtained in 1990. It is established that changing prices accounts for a substantial part of the improvement in women's fortunes in the labour market. To provide a basis of comparison, the model is also estimated for men. Choices concerning occupational and labour market participation are modelled using both the standard multinomial

It Was All Gonna Trickle Down: What Has Growth In India''s Advanced Sectors Really Done For The Rest?

A theory is developed in which the extent to which growth in advanced industrial sectors trickles down to other sectors is dependent upon, capital market frictions, migration, and the strength of interindustry linkages. It is shown that perverse results can arise, and that the efficacy of any policies that rely on tricke down is therefore an empirical issue. Using data from India, we investigate whether growth in the advanced sectors generates growth elsewhere in the economy, and find that it does not

Costs and Efficiency of Higher Education Institutions in England: A DEA Analysis

As student numbers in the UK's higher education sector have expanded substantially during the last 15 years, it has become increasingly important for government to understand the structure of costs in higher education, thus allowing it to evaluate the potential for expansion and associated cost implications. This study applies Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to higher education institutions (HEIs) in England in the period 2000/01-2002/03 to assess the cost structure and the performance of various HEI groups. The paper continues and complements an earlier study by Johnes, Johnes and Thanassoulis (forthcoming), who used parametric regression methods to analyse the same panel data. Interestingly, the DEA analysis provides estimates of subject-specific unit costs that are in the same ballpark as those provided by the parametric methods. We then extend the previous analysis by examining potential cost savings and output augmentations in different HEI groups using several different DEA models. The findings include a suggestion that substantial gains of the order of 20-27% are feasible if all potential savings are directed at raising student numbers so that each HEI exploits to the full not only operating and scale efficiency gains but also adjusts its student mix to maximise student numbers. Finally we use a Malmquist index approach to assess productivity change in UK HEIs. The results reveal that for a majority of HEIs productivity has actually decreased during the study period

EDUCATION AND LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES: EVIDENCE FROM INDIA

The impact of education on labour market outcomes is analysed using data from various rounds of the National Sample Survey of India. Occupational destination is examined using both multinomial logit analyses and structural dynamic discrete choice modelling. The latter approach involves the use of a novel approach to constructing a pseudo-panel from repeated cross-section data, and is particularly useful as a means of evaluating policy impacts over time. We find that policy to expand educational provision leads initially to an increased takeup of education, and in the longer term leads to an increased propensity for workers to enter non-manual employment.

EDUCATION AND LABOUR MARKET OUTCOMES: EVIDENCE FROM BRAZIL

The effect of education on labour market outcomes is analysed using both survey and administrative data from The Brazilian PNAD and RAIS-MIGRA series, respectively. Occupational destination is examined using both multinomial logit analyses and structural dynamic discrete choice modelling. The latter approach is particularly useful as a means of evaluating policy impacts over time. We find that policy to expand educational provision leads initially to an increased take-up of education, and in the longer term leads to an increased propensity for workers to enter non-manual employment.

IT''S BEEN A LONG TIME: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF JOB DURATION IN BANKING

Using personnel records from two firms in the banking industry, duration models are estimated to examine separations in the context of Great Britain and Greece. We find that it is sustained, rather than instantaneous, performance that is linked to separations. In common with some earlier studies, we find qualified support for a u-shaped relationship between performance and separations, but only in the case of the British data. Both of the banks under investigation experienced substantial reorganisation activity over the time period considered, and we find that the year following this was characterised by increased separation propensities. While most of our findings are consistent across the firms in the two countries studied, we find that single men are more likely than their female counterparts to quit in Britain, but less likely to quit in Greece. We offer some suggestions about why this should be the case

Cost Structure, Efficiency and Heterogeneity in US Higher Education: An Empirical Analysis

We estimate a variety of models to evaluate costs in US higher education institutions. A novel feature of our approach involves the estimation of latent class and random parameter stochastic frontier models of the multiproduct cost function. This allows us fully to accommodate both the heterogeneity of institutions and the presence of technical inefficiencies. Our findings suggest that global economies could be achieved by effecting a reduction in the number of institutions providing undergraduate instruction, while increasing the number of institutions engaged in postgraduate activity

Lakes - Classification & Monitoring: a strategy for the classification of lakes

This is the report on Lakes – Classification and Monitoring, a strategy for the classification of lakes by the National Rivers Authority. This report describes a scheme for the assessment and monitoring of water and ecological quality in standing waters, greater than about 1ha in area, in England and Wales although it is generally relevant to Northwest Europe. Thirteen hydrological, chemical and biological variables are used to characterize the standing water body in any current sampling. Statistical testing on the chemical variables showed that at least six samples during a year would be needed to produce a representative sampling mean; but in this scheme the choice of variables minimizes logistic cost by not using boat sampling and time costs by not demanding extensive taxonomic work. Standing waters are classified in a state-changed system in which the contemporary values of the variables are compared with a reference baseline state and then placed in categories of percentage change from this baseline. The scheme is presently designed for use at about five year intervals on all lakes greater than 2ha area plus additional lakes of significant amenity or conservation interest

Education and labour market outcomes : evidence from India

The impact of education on labour market outcomes is analysed using data from various rounds of the National Sample Survey of India. Occupational destination is examined using both multinomial logit analyses and structural dynamic discrete choice modelling. The latter approach involves the use of a novel approach to constructing a pseudo-panel from repeated cross-section data, and is particularly useful as a means of evaluating policy impacts over time. We find that policy to expand educational provision leads initially to an increased takeup of education, and in the longer term leads to an increased propensity for workers to enter non-manual employment