The long term effect of vocational qualifications on labour market outcomes

"London Economics were commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to undertake an assessment of the long-term effect of vocational education and training on labour market outcomes. We combined learner attainment information from the Individual Learner Record (ILR) between 2002/03 and 2005/06, annual earnings information (between 2003/04 and 2009/10) and employment information (between 1999/00 and 2009/10) from HM Revenue and Customs, and benefit receipt and duration information (between 1999/00 and 2009/10) from the Department for Work and Pensions. The number of individuals contained in the ILR totalled almost 6.9 million learners that could be subsequently matched to the HMRC and DWP data sources (presented in Figure 1). For the analysis we retained both achievers and individuals who enrolled in the course but failed to achieve the qualification aim." - page 8

Australian forensic psychologists' perspectives on the merits and limits of actuarial instruments in predicting recidivism among violent offenders and sex offenders

Actuarial approaches are regarded as more accurate than both unstructured and structured clinical approaches in assessing risk of recidivism among sex offenders. While there has been a plethora of research on evaluating the effectiveness of actuarial instruments, there has been a paucity of research investigating their actual level of use in forensic settings. In addition, little is known about the practical difficulties associated with administering actuarial instruments. This paper reports on a survey completed by forensic psychologists in Australia about the risk assessment tools they prefer and the benefits and difficulties associated with their use. In addition, the paper explores the extent to which forensic psychologists use clinical information to adjust the level of risk identified through the actuarial approach. The findings are discussed in light of the utility of particular approaches to assessing risk of recidivism among violent offenders and sex offenders

Estimating the value to the UK of education exports

London Economics is one of Europe's leading specialist economics and policy consultancies and has its head office in London. We also have offices in Brussels, Dublin, Cardiff and Budapest, and associated offices in Paris and Valletta. We advise clients in both the public and private sectors on economic and financial analysis, policy development and evaluation, business strategy, and regulatory and competition policy. Our consultants are highly-qualified economists with experience in applying a wide variety of analytical techniques to assist our work, including cost-benefit analysis, multi-criteria analysis, policy simulation, scenario building, statistical analysis and mathematical modelling. We are also experienced in using a wide range of data collection techniques including literature reviews, survey questionnaires, interviews and focus groups

Does it pay to attend a prestigious university?

This paper provides evidence of heterogeneity in the returns to higher education in the UK. Attending the most prestigious universities leads to a wage premium of up to 6% for males. The rise in participation in higher education also led to a greater sorting of students and an increase in the returns to quality. These results somehow justify the recent introduction of top-up fees. Additionally, identification strategy matters and OLS estimates may be severely biased. However, our estimates, based on propensity score matching, are imprecise due to the thinness of the common support.Higher Education Quality, Tuition fees