Using data on German university graduates, this paper analyzes wage differentials by field of study at labor market entry and five to six years later. At both points in time, graduates from Arts and Humanities have lower average monthly wages compared to other fields of study. Blinder-Oaxaca...

We analyse wage differentials between Higher Education graduates in the UK, differentiating between polytechnic and university graduates. Polytechnic graduates earned on average lower wages than university graduates prior to the UK Further and Higher Education Act of 1992. The reform changed the...

This article investigates the effects of large groups of first-year students on individual college performance. The study is based on administrative micro-level data from the universe of higher education institutions in Germany. The empirical strategy exploits shocks in undergraduate enrollment...

We investigate the relationship between peers’ abilities and educational outcomes at the end of high school using data from the rich Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) matched to the National Pupil Database of children in state schools in England. In particular, we focus on...

In a context of demographic change, European governments seek ways to keep the skill set of the labor force flexible. One option to achieve this goal is widening access to college education to non-traditional students, such as those vocationally trained. Assessing whether this is a promising...

Compulsory military service typically drafts young men when they are at the height of their learning ability. Thus, it can be expected to depress the demand for higher education since skill atrophy and the delayed entry into the civilian labor market reduce the returns to human-capital...

While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the “gold standard” for impact evaluation, they face numerous practical barriers to implementation. In some circumstances, a randomized-encouragement design (RED) is a viable alternative, but applications are surprisingly rare. We discuss the...

This research paper aims at highlighting factors which influence the spatial focus of interactions between higher education institutions (HEIs) and the economic system in Germany. In the pursuit of this goal, our research work employs a Bayesian statistical analysis of empirical data gathered...

This paper investigates the effects of tuition fees on the university enrollment and location decision of high school graduates in Germany. After a Federal Constitutional Court decision in 2005, 7 out of 16 German federal states introduced tuition fees for higher education. In the empirical...

In diesem Papier wird der Effekt der Einführung von leistungsorientierter Mittelvergabe (LOM) im deutschen Hochschulsektor analysiert. Seit Anfang der 1990er Jahre wurden neue Finanzierungssysteme nach und nach in den Bundesländern eingeführt, die zum Ziel hatten, die Performance und...