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Schooling returns, schooling decisions and educational finance

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  • Colm Harmon

Abstract

Given the presence of significant returns to education, it would seem logical to query why individuals choose to leave school early. This paper examines the evidence on this issue, dealing with both methodological and evidence-based findings. Drawing on existing research in the area of schooling returns, the evidence and deficiencies of the literature are explored in an effort to quantify the scale of the private return to education. The schooling decision is subsequently examined more closely, so as to investigate the effect of variables such as family income on that choice. Proposed educational finance solutions are then surveyed. Specifically, this paper reports on an experimental approach in the UK, which pays allowances to households and individual students for participation in education, thus reducing the opportunity cost of staying on at school. Finally, estimates are presented, based on an analysis of non-experimental UK data, of the probability of early school leaving, conditional on named variables.

Suggested Citation

  • Colm Harmon, 2002. "Schooling returns, schooling decisions and educational finance," Open Access publications 10197/669, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucn:oapubs:10197/669
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/669
    File Function: Open Access version, 2002
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stephen V. Cameron & James J. Heckman, 1998. "Life Cycle Schooling and Dynamic Selection Bias: Models and Evidence for Five Cohorts of American Males," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(2), pages 262-333, April.
    2. O'Neill, Donal & Sweetman, Olive, 1998. "Intergenerational Mobility in Britain: Evidence from Unemployment Patterns," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 60(4), pages 431-447, November.
    3. Kevin J Denny & Colm P Harmon, 2000. "Education Policy Reform and the Return to Schooling from Instrumental Variables," Working Papers 200012, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    4. Harmon, Colm & Walker, Ian, 1995. "Estimates of the Economic Return to Schooling for the United Kingdom," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(5), pages 1278-1286, December.
    5. Joshua Angrist & Eric Bettinger & Erik Bloom & Elizabeth King & Michael Kremer, 2002. "Vouchers for Private Schooling in Colombia: Evidence from a Randomized Natural Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(5), pages 1535-1558, December.
    6. James Heckman & Lance Lockner & Christopher Taber, 1999. "Human capital formation and general equilibrium treatment effects: a study of tax and tuition policy," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 20(1), pages 25-40, March.
    7. Stephen V. Cameron & James J. Heckman, 1998. "Life Cycle Schooling and Dynamic Selection Bias: Models and Evidence for Five Cohorts," NBER Working Papers 6385, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Colm Harmon & Ian Walker & Niels Westergaard-Nielsen (ed.), 2001. "Education and Earnings in Europe," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 2237.
    9. Plug, Erik & Vijverberg, Wim P., 2001. "Schooling, Family Background, and Adoption: Does Family Income Matter?," IZA Discussion Papers 246, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Card, David, 2001. "Estimating the Return to Schooling: Progress on Some Persistent Econometric Problems," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 69(5), pages 1127-1160, September.
    11. Dustmann, Christian, 2001. "Parental Background, Primary to Secondary School Transitions, and Wages," IZA Discussion Papers 367, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    12. John Ermisch & Marco Francesconi, 2001. "Family Matters: Impacts of Family Background on Educational Attainments," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 68(270), pages 137-156, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Family background; Earnings; Returns to education; Educational finance; Dropouts; Education--Economic aspects; Education--Costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H40 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - General
    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs

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