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Postsecondary Education Structure

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Abstract

States differ substantially in the structures of their public four-year university systems. This paper uses micro-level data to evaluate the effects of postsecondary education structure on individuals’ educational and labor-market outcomes. Postsecondary education structure affects whether individuals attend universities at all, whether they attend public or private universities, and whether they attend large or small universities. Individuals who are exposed to more-fractionalized structures are adversely affected in the labor market. In conjunction with evidence that it is more expensive to educate students at smaller universities, this latter result suggests that states with more-fractionalized postsecondary education structures should look to consolidate their resources into fewer, larger universities.

Suggested Citation

  • Cory Koedel, 2009. "Postsecondary Education Structure," Working Papers 0906, Department of Economics, University of Missouri, revised 04 Oct 2010.
    • Handle: RePEc:umc:wpaper:0906
    Note: Originally submitted as: Postsecondary Education Structure and Human Capital Production
    as

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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    postsecondary education structure; higher education structure; small university; large university; postsecondary education costs;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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