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Fast Track or Failure: A Study of the Completion Rates of Graduate Students in Economics

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  • van Ours, Jan C.

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Ridder, Geert

    (University of Southern California)

Abstract

This paper presents an analysis of the failure and completion rates of graduate students in economics at three universities in The Netherlands. We find that an indicator of the research productivity of the supervisor is an important determinant of the completion and dropout rates. However, this effect seems due to the fact that supervisors with a good research record attract and select better students. There is no evidence of an independent effect of having a supervisor who is an active researcher.

Suggested Citation

  • van Ours, Jan C. & Ridder, Geert, 2000. "Fast Track or Failure: A Study of the Completion Rates of Graduate Students in Economics," IZA Discussion Papers 107, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp107
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bijwaard, Govert E. & Ridder, Geert, 2005. "Correcting for selective compliance in a re-employment bonus experiment," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 125(1-2), pages 77-111.
    2. Ronald G. Ehrenberg & Panagiotis G. Mavros, 1995. "Do Doctoral Students' Financial Support Patterns Affect Their Times-To-Degree and Completion Probabilities?," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 30(3), pages 581-609.
    3. David W. Breneman & Dean T. Jamison & Roy Radner, 1976. "The Ph.D. Production Process," NBER Chapters, in: Education as an Industry, pages 1-52, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Fertig, Michael & Schmidt, Christoph M., 2000. "Discretionary Measures of Active Labor Market Policy: The German Employment Promotion Reform in Perspective," IZA Discussion Papers 182, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Arulampalam, Wiji & Naylor, Robin A. & Smith, Jeremy P, 2001. "A hazard model of the probability of medical school dropout in the united kingdom," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 597, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    3. repec:lan:wpaper:1087 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Michael J. Hilmer & Christiana E. Hilmer, 2009. "Fishes, Ponds, And Productivity: Student‐Advisor Matching And Early Career Publishing Success For Economics Phds," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 47(2), pages 290-303, April.
    5. Bonin, Holger & Zimmermann, Klaus F., 2000. "The Post-Unification German Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 185, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Wayne A. Grove & Donald H. Dutkowsky & Andrew Grodner, 2007. "Survive Then Thrive: Determinants Of Success In The Economics Ph.D. Program," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 45(4), pages 864-871, October.
    7. Hendrik P. van Dalen & Arjo Klamer, 2005. "Is there such a Thing called Scientific Waste?," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 05-005/1, Tinbergen Institute.
    8. Marta Martínez Matute, 2014. "The duration of the PhD at Spain from a stochastic frontier perspective: Is it really a trick-or-treat issue?," Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación volume 9, in: Adela García Aracil & Isabel Neira Gómez (ed.), Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación 9, edition 1, volume 9, chapter 29, pages 545-565, Asociación de Economía de la Educación.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Duration analysis; education; graduate program;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C41 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Duration Analysis; Optimal Timing Strategies
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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