Using a rich longitudinal data set from birth, we explore three estimation issues related to academic performance analysis. Our paper primarily examines the effect of omitting childhood and teenage characteristics (childhood ability, parental resources at different times and peer effects), which...

With significant increases in the demand for new skills and participation in higher education in New Zealand since the 1980s, and the introduction of economic reforms toward market liberalisation since the mid 1980s, an examination of income returns to investments in higher education has been of...

How do private returns to tertiary education in New Zealand compare internationally? According to the latest OECD measures, the private rate of return for New Zealand is 8.9%, compared to an OECD average of 12.4%, placing New Zealand toward the bottom of the OECD ranking. The aim of this study...