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Quality measures in higher education: Norwegian evidence

Author

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  • Falch, Torberg
  • Iversen, Jon Marius Vaag
  • Nyhus, Ole Henning
  • Strøm, Bjarne

Abstract

We exploit rich administrative matched data for students and institutions to obtain quality measures across higher education institutions in Norway. Our primary quality indicators are based on individual income after leaving higher education within a value-added approach. Estimated quality indicators reveal significant differences in student outcomes across institutions, although the differences are much lower than raw income differences. “Old” and traditional universities appear in the upper part of the estimated quality distribution, while most of the smaller regional university colleges appear in the lower part. Students’ migration is challenging to handle appropriately, but we show that the estimated quality distribution is fairly robust to different assignments of students to institutions. Simple correlational analyses demonstrate that publicly available indicators based on subjective student assessments do not give reliable information about quality in higher education. This confirms earlier findings in the literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Falch, Torberg & Iversen, Jon Marius Vaag & Nyhus, Ole Henning & Strøm, Bjarne, 2022. "Quality measures in higher education: Norwegian evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:87:y:2022:i:c:s0272775722000127
    DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2022.102235
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    Cited by:

    1. Lelys Dinarte-Diaz & Maria Marta Ferreyra & Tatiana Melguizo & Angelica Sanchez, 2023. "The Contribution of Short-Cycle Programs to Student Outcomes: Evidence from Colombia," CESifo Working Paper Series 10262, CESifo.
    2. Ferreyra,Maria Marta & Franco Hernandez,Andrea & Melguizo,Tatiana & Sanchez Diaz,Angelica Maria, 2020. "Estimating the Contribution of Short-Cycle Programs to Student Outcomes in Colombia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9424, The World Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Higher education; Quality indicators; Value-added;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General

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