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Risky higher education and subsidies

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Author Info
Ahmet Akyol
Kartik Artheya

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Abstract

Tertiary education in the U.S. requires large investments that are risky, lumpy, and well-timed. Tertiary education is also heavily subsidized. By making the risk of human capital investment more acceptable, especially to low wealth households, subsidies may increase investment in human capital, lower long-run inequality, and reduce aggregate precautionary savings. However, subsidies also encourage more poorly prepared students to attend and are usually financed via distortionary taxes. In this paper, we find that observed collegiate subsidies improve welfare substantially relative to the fully decentralized (zero subsidy) outcome. We show that subsidies help smooth consumption, lower skill premia, increase interest rates as precautionary savings fall, lower the inequality of both consumption and wealth, increase intergenerational income mobility and raise welfare, even when financed by distortionary taxes.

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Paper provided by Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond in its series Working Paper with number 03-02.

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Date of creation: 2003
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedrwp:03-02

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Keywords: Macroeconomics Education Human capital

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  1. Felix Kubler & Karl Schmedders, 2000. "Incomplete Markets, Transitory Shocks and Welfare," Levine's Working Paper Archive 2133, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Kydland, Finn E & Prescott, Edward C, 1982. "Time to Build and Aggregate Fluctuations," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(6), pages 1345-70, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Ljungqvist, Lars, 1993. "Economic underdevelopment : The case of a missing market for human capital," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 219-239, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Li, Wenli, 2002. "Entrepreneurship and government subsidies: A general equilibrium analysis," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 1815-1844, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Levhari, David & Weiss, Yoram, 1974. "The Effect of Risk on the Investment in Human Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(6), pages 950-63, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Tom Krebs, 2003. "Human Capital Risk And Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 118(2), pages 709-744, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Ljungqvist, Lars, 1995. "Wage structure as implicit insurance on human capital in developed versus underdeveloped countries," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(1), pages 35-50, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. repec:cup:macdyn:v:1:y:1997:i:1:p:76-101 is not listed on IDEAS
  9. Huggett, Mark, 1993. "The risk-free rate in heterogeneous-agent incomplete-insurance economies," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 17(5-6), pages 953-969. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Christoph Winter, 2007. "Accounting for the Changing Role of Family Income in Determining College Entry," Economics Working Papers ECO2007/49, European University Institute. [Downloadable!]
  2. Carlos Garriga & Mark P. Keightley, 2007. "A general equilibrium theory of college with education subsidies, in-school labor supply, and borrowing constraints," Working Papers 2007-051, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. [Downloadable!]
  3. William Blankenau & Steven Cassou & Beth Ingram, 2007. "Allocating Government Education Expenditures Across K-12 and College Education," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 31(1), pages 85-112, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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