Do Tuition Fees Affect the Mobility of University Applicants? Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Several German states recently introduced tuition fees for university education. We investigate whether these tuition fees influence the mobility of university applicants. Based on administrative data of applicants for medical schools in Germany, we estimate the effect of tuition fees on the probability of applying for a university in the home state. We find a small but significant reaction: The probability of applying for a university in the home state falls by 2 percentage points (baseline: 69%) for high-school graduates who come from a state with tuition fees. Moreover, we find that students with lower high-school grades react more strongly to tuition fees. This might have important effects on the composition of students across states.mobility of high-school graduates, tuition fees, natural experiment

Do Tuition Fees Affect the Mobility of University Applicants?: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

Several German states recently introduced tuition fees for university education. We investigate whether these tuition fees influence the mobility of university applicants. Based on administrative data of applicants for medical schools in Germany, we estimate the effect of tuition fees on the probability of applying for a university in the home state. We find a small but significant reaction: The probability of applying for a university in the home state falls by 2 percentage points (baseline: 69%) for high-school graduates who come from a state with tuition fees. Moreover, we find that students with lower high-school grades react more strongly to tuition fees. This might have important effects on the composition of students across states.mobility of high-school graduates, tuition fees, natural experiment

Reith reinvented: BBC boss explains how new newsroom will ‘allow us to do what we do better.”

“How many of you would be comfortable explaining quantitative easing to a friend in the pub?” In the room full of LSE students, not a single hand went up in reply to the question posed by Mary Hockaday, Head of the new multimedia integrated BBC Newsroom. Ms Hockaday was making a point about the continuing importance of good journalism in a digital age, a point that she continually returned to throughout her inspiring presentation on the future of professional journalism in a changing media landscape

Hochschulstudium: nicht ausgeschöpfte Potentiale trotz "Akademisierungswahn"

In den vergangenen Jahren ist die Zahl der Studienanfängerinnen und -anfänger an deutschen Hochschulen deutlich gestiegen. Ihren bisherigen Rekordwert erreichte sie im Studienjahr 2011: Damals schrieben sich 518 700 Studienanfängerinnen und -anfänger erstmals an einer deutschen Hochschule ein. Die Studienanfängerquote erreichte 56 Prozent. Das heißt, jeder 2. Schulabgänger nimmt im Laufe seines Lebens ein Studium auf. Während die Einen von einem Akademisierungswahn sprechen, heben die Anderen hervor, dass Bildung der beste Prädiktor für ein sicheres Einkommen auf der individuellen Ebene und für Wettbewerbsfähigkeit auf der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Ebene ist. Die Potentiale sind noch längst nicht ausgeschöpft: Selbst mit der hohen Studierquote in Deutschland sind Kinder aus Nichtakademiker-Familien an deutschen Universitäten nach wie vor stark unterrepräsentiert

Pattern mixture models for multivariate normal data: a simulation study

Little&Wand (1996) introduced the pattern mixture model for wave nonresponse as a special case of multivariate normal longitudinal data with fixed covariate matrix. This paper was the theoretical foundation and the induce to investigate the pattern mixture model compared with complete case analysis by means of simulations. The main point of interest was the mean square error of the estimated model parameters and the efficiency of the estimations. To estimate the variance of the model parameters we examine the Jackknife method. Parameter estimates by the pattern mixture model are very satisfying under ignorable mechanism but they have to be scanned carefully under nonignorable mechanism. The Jackknife method seems to be, with restrictions, a good estimator for the variance of the model parameters

Military, art & the inbetween

I find myself navigating life from the perspective of both a civilian and military service member. Everyday, I am between domestic, civilian spaces and military memories as my military service has impacted every aspect of my adult life. Serving in the United States Air Force allowed me to travel the globe while working alongside people from every class and race, on missions focused on tasks greater than ourselves. My artistic practice explores how my time in the military has affected my transition back into civilian life by using sculpture and installation to express a variety of emotions. I hope my work sheds light on a culture, former military reentering civilian society, that society often misunderstands and is increasingly disconnected from. A 2015 Gallup poll found that 72% of respondents expressed “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the military. Compare this to a mere 8% who expressed confidence in the United States Congress. Despite this apparent level of relative confidence, I have noticed a lack of understanding from the civilian populace about what the military does, how it does it, and why. I tap into the thought process of attention to detail combined with a sense of urgency to express aspects of military life into my sculptures. I learned these ways of working from my time in the service. I combine these aspects with appropriate visual signifiers from military aesthetics to speak to this dissonance of social perception on a deeper, more personal level. I explore a nuanced conversation around these issues that are normally oversimplified and propagandized. Through initiating conversations between those who have served and those who have not, greater understanding can emerge from both the civilian and veteran community of each other’s position in our collective society. “America doesn’t lose wars, it loses interest.” - Hasain Haqqani, 201

Saving the Appearances? C. S. Lewis’ Critique of Scientific Knowledge

C. S. Lewis’ witty and insightful criticisms of scientism is well known.What has been less noted is the critique that he made in several places, not of scientism but of science itself, or rather of aspects of the scientific enterprise as carried on in the tradition of the scientific revolution brought about by such men as Galileo and Bacon. It is a critique of science and of scientific knowledge that is much deeper and more interesting than a mere exposé of simplistic scientistic fundamentalism, necessary as that is. Lewis not only exhibited a less than favorable attitude toward the technological bias that seems inherent in modern science, but looked with some skepticism upon the knowledge claims of modern science, and, as we will see in his most developed evaluation of it, put forward ideas similar to those of the American philosopher and historian of science, Thomas Kuhn

Trafficking in Persons: the Reliability of the Tier Ranking System and its Ability to Influence Global Policy Decisions

This research investigates the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report published annually by the United States. Specifically, this research examines both the role that the Trafficking in Persons report plays in pushing specific human rights policy decisions throughout the world and its overall effectiveness in creating governmental response. The tier rankings and country narratives included in the report are essential for identifying specific government responses to recommendations made in the TIP report, and the tier rankings specifically have created a system that pressures countries to pursue steps toward combatting human trafficking. The data collection method utilized throughout this research consists primarily of information within the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the twenty published Trafficking in Persons reports ranging from 2001 to 2021. Other notable points of reference for data collection are various reports from the Government Accountability Office, U.S. Embassy reports, and other pieces of both domestic and foreign legislation surrounding human rights and human trafficking. Although the preexisting literature surrounding the issue of human trafficking is not necessarily abundant, the relevant information utilized for this research proved to be vital in acknowledging the principal role of the TIP report in leading global responses against human trafficking. The TIP report has a reputable status around the world and there are countries that do adhere to its recommendations in order to improve their tier rankings. However, it is problematic that the TIP Report, due to a lack of other research surrounding human trafficking on an international scale, has taken on the role as one of the only points of reference for governments around the world. It is necessary for other countries to take initiative into competing with the United States in regards to human trafficking research and create other references of information in order to improve and increase global responses. In conclusion, the examination of five different countries, their tier rankings, and their corresponding responses to their tier ranking and TIP report recommendations overall illustrates the influential role that the report plays in creating change surrounding human trafficking. The trends in policy response in each country, while very different, all contribute to one concrete idea: the TIP report, despite its occasionally criticism, maintains a very influential status with countries across the world, and governments have been known to find value in obtaining an admirable tier ranking in order to maintain positive relations with the United States in regards to human rights