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Education Choice under Uncertainty and Public Policy

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Author Info
Vincent Hogan (University College Dublin)
Ian Walker (University of Warwick)

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Abstract

We analyse how progressive taxation and education subsidies affect schooling deci- sions when the returns to education are stochastic. We use the theory of real options to solve the problem of education choice in a dynamic, life-cycle consistent, stochastic model. We show that education attainment will be an increasing function of the risk associated with education. Furthermore, this result holds whether or not agents can borrow in order to pay for education and regardless of the degree of risk aversion. We also examine the link between consumption over the life-cycle and education choice to show that higher initial wealth will usually - but not always - have a positive effect on education attainment. Finally we show that progressive taxes will tend to reduce education attainment for the poor but increase it for the rich.

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File URL: http://www.ucd.ie/economics/research/papers/2003/WP03.02.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function: First version, 2003
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Publisher Info
Paper provided by School Of Economics, University College Dublin in its series Working Papers with number 200302.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 49 pages
Date of creation: 21 Jan 2003
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:ucn:wpaper:200302

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Related research
Keywords: Education Choice; Dynamic Optimization; Optimal Stopping; Uncertainty;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
C61 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods and Programming - - - Optimization Techniques; Programming Models; Dynamic Analysis
D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Heckman, James J & Lochner, Lance & Taber, Christopher, 1998. "Tax Policy and Human-Capital Formation," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 293-97, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Williams, Joseph T, 1979. "Uncertainty and the Accumulation of Human Capital over the Life Cycle," Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 52(4), pages 521-48, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Judd, Kenneth L, 1998. "Taxes, Uncertainty, and Human Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 289-92, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Harmon, Colm & Hogan, Vincent & Walker, Ian, 2003. "Dispersion in the economic return to schooling," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 205-214, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Uusitalo, R. & Conneely, K., 1998. "Estimating Heterogeneous Treatment Effects in the Becker Schooling Model," University of Helsinki, Department of Economics 435, Department of Economics.
  6. James J. Heckman & Lance J. Lochner & Petra E. Todd, 2003. "Fifty Years of Mincer Earnings Regressions," NBER Working Papers 9732, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Eaton, Jonathan & Rosen, Harvey S, 1980. "Taxation, Human Capital, and Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 70(4), pages 705-15, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Keane, Michael P & Wolpin, Kenneth I, 1997. "The Career Decisions of Young Men," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(3), pages 473-522, June.
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  9. Trostel, Philip A, 1993. "The Effect of Taxation on Human Capital," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(2), pages 327-50, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Martins, Pedro S., 2004. "Firm-Level Social Returns to Education," IZA Discussion Papers 1382, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Migali, Giuseppe, 2006. "Funding Higher Education and Wage Uncertainty : Income Contingent Loan versus Mortgage Loan," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 775, University of Warwick, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Vincent Hogan & Ian Walker, 2006. "Education Choice under Uncertainty - Implications for Public Policy," Working Papers 200615, School Of Economics, University College Dublin. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Bas Jacobs, 2007. "Real Options and Human Capital Investment," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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