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The effect of introducing a Research Evaluation Exercise on student enrolment: Evidence from Italy

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  • Biancardi, Daniele
  • Bratti, Massimiliano

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of introducing a Research Evaluation Exercise (REE) on Italian undergraduate students’ enrolment choices. We investigate whether subject groups in higher education institutions (HEIs) that performed better in the REE also benefited from more student enrolments and the enrolment of students with better entry qualifications. To this aim, we use a before-after estimator that exploits differential treatment intensities across HEIs and subject groups. Our analysis demonstrates that the REE had a positive effect on student enrolment, but only in the top-performing HEIs. The effect was larger for high-quality students, namely those with better high school final marks or coming from the academic track. Further exploratory analysis suggests that there was a reversal in the effect with the second REE, with only medium- or bottom-performing HEIs gaining more enrolments as a result of improving their performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Biancardi, Daniele & Bratti, Massimiliano, 2019. "The effect of introducing a Research Evaluation Exercise on student enrolment: Evidence from Italy," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 73-93.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:69:y:2019:i:c:p:73-93
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2019.01.001
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    4. Martina Vittorietti & Ornella Giambalvo & Vincenzo Giuseppe Genova & Fabio Aiello, 2023. "A new measure for the attitude to mobility of Italian students and graduates: a topological data analysis approach," Statistical Methods & Applications, Springer;Società Italiana di Statistica, vol. 32(2), pages 509-543, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Research evaluation exercise; Student enrolment; Student quality; Italy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions

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