Improving educational outcomes: analyses of interventions and public opinion

The dissertation consists of four distinct empirical essays that address various aspects of the economics of education. Chapter 2 sheds light on the interaction of two inputs into the education production function: instruction time and teacher qualifications. The results show that teacher qualifications play a moderating role for the effect of instruction time on student achievement. Chapter 3 examines dropout from a mentoring program designed to help disadvantaged adolescents and analyzes a program agency’s cost-benefit trade-offs in the decision to target additional interventions to prevent dropout. Chapter 4 investigates public opinion towards targeted financial support and the role of external circumstances compared to own effort for (educational) success. This chapter shows how information on the differences in academic-track attendance by parental background in Germany increases the perception that external circumstances determine educational success, as well as private donations to charities but does not affect demand for redistributive education spending. Finally, chapter 5 studies the consequences of technological change on individuals’ labor-market expectations and their intentions to participate in further training. Experimental results show that information about the automatability of one’s occupation affects labor-market expectations and increases the likelihood to participate in further training and retraining.Die Dissertation besteht aus vier eigenständigen empirischen Aufsätzen, die sich mit verschiedenen Aspekten der Bildungsökonomie befassen. Kapitel 2 beleuchtet die Interaktion von zwei Inputs der Bildungsproduktionsfunktion: Unterrichtszeit und Lehrerqualifikationen. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich mehr Unterrichtszeit positiv auf Schülerleistungen auswirkt, wobei dieser Effekt deutlich größer ist, wenn Kinder von besser qualifizierten Lehrkräften unterrichtet werden. Kapitel 3 untersucht den Abbruch von Mentoringbeziehungen. Es analysiert die Kosten-Nutzen-Abwägungen einer Programmagentur bei der Entscheidung, zusätzliche Maßnahmen zur Verhinderung des Abbruchs zu ergreifen. Kapitel 4 untersucht die öffentliche Meinung zu gezielter finanzieller Unterstützung und die Rolle äußerer Umstände im Vergleich zu eigener Anstrengung für (Bildungs-)Erfolg. Dieses Kapitel zeigt, wie Information über die Unterschiede in den Raten des Gymnasialbesuchs nach elterlichem Hintergrund in Deutschland die Wahrnehmung, dass äußere Umstände den Bildungserfolg beeinflussen, sowie die private Spendenbereitschaft an Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen erhöhen, nicht aber die Nachfrage nach umverteilenden Bildungsausgaben. In Kapitel 5 werden die Auswirkungen des technologischen Wandels auf Arbeitsmarkterwartungen und Weiterbildungsabsichten von Individuen untersucht. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Information über die Automatisierbarkeit des eigenen Berufs die Arbeitsmarkterwartungen beeinflusst und die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer Teilnahme an Weiterbildungen und Umschulungen erhöht

The ifo Education Survey 2014-2021

The ifo Education Survey is a representative opinion survey of the German voting-age population on education topics that has been conducted annually since 2014. It covers public preferences on a wide range of education policy issues ranging from early childhood education, schools, and apprenticeships to university education and life-long learning. The dataset comprises several survey experiments that facilitate investigating the causal effects of information provision, framing, and question design on answering behavior. This paper gives an overview of the survey content and methodology, describes the data, and explains how researchers can access the dataset of over 4000 participants per wave

NO-independent activation of soluble guanylate cyclase prevents disease progression in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy

1. Chronic renal disease is associated with oxidative stress, reduced nitric oxide (NO) availability and soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) dysfunction. Recently, we discovered BAY 58-2667, a compound activating heme-deficient or oxidized sGC in a NO-independent manner. 2. We assessed potential of BAY 58-2667 in preventing cardiac and renal target organ damage in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy. 3. Male Wistar rats were allocated to three groups: 5/6 nephrectomy, 5/6 nephrectomy treated with BAY 58-2667 and sham operation. Study period was 18 weeks: blood pressure and creatinine clearance were assessed repeatedly. At study end blood samples were taken and hearts and kidneys harvested for histological studies. 4. BAY 58-2667 markedly lowered blood pressure in animals with 5/6 nephrectomy (untreated versus treated animals: 189±14 versus 146±11 mmHg, P<0.001). Left ventricular weight, cardiac myocyte diameter as well as cardiac arterial wall thickness significantly decreased in comparison to untreated animals with 5/6 nephrectomy. Natriuretic peptide plasma levels were also improved by BAY 58-2667. Kidney function and morphology as assessed by creatinine clearance, glomerulosclerosis, interstitial and perivascular fibrosis of intrarenal arteries were likewise significantly improved by BAY 58-2667. 5. This is the first study showing that BAY 58-2667 effectively lowers blood pressure, reduces left ventricular hypertrophy and slows renal disease progression in rats with 5/6 nephrectomy by targeting mainly oxidized sGC. Therefore, BAY 58-2667 represents a novel pharmacological principle with potential clinical value in treatment of chronic renal disease