Embedded Files
Tuition Increases and University Behavior: Theory and Evidence on Student Enrollment
Link to Working PaperAbstractThis paper considers the role universities play in determining their enrollment when faced with government regulated domestic tuition. Our theoretical framework posits that domestic student enrollment increase and international student enrollment decrease or remain unchanged when domestic tuition increases. Using 30 years of data, we find higher tuition increases domestic enrollment, mediated by an expectation that students may respond negatively to increased tuition. Universities shift enrollment toward higher-revenue fields. The results for international student enrollment is mixed, depending on the research intensity of the university.Keywords: post-secondary education, university enrollment, tuition, government funding, university regulationJEL Classification: I23, I28, I22 Gender Differences in University Enrollment and STEM Major: The Role of Tuition Policy in AustraliaLink to Working PaperAbstractWe analyze whether men and women respond differently to tuition variation for both university entry and STEM major choice, using a 30-year Australian individual-level administrative dataset. The Australian setting is unique: tuition fees are regulated, students can defer payment through income-contingent loans, and universities receive discipline-specific government subsidies. We find women consistently enrolled at higher rates than men, on average 14 percentage points between 1991 and 2020, with the gap widening over the period from 10 to 16 percentage points. By contrast, men were more likely to register in STEM fields. This STEM gap has remained stable in traditional STEM disciplines, but the gap has narrowed since 2005 when including Health in the definition of STEM. We find that women respond more positively than men to tuition increases in terms of overall enrollment. Effects on STEM participation, however, are less clear and vary across time. The STEM choice patterns suggest systematic gender differences in incentives and behavior, reflecting factors such as men’s stronger engagement with higher-paying non-university jobs, higher expected returns to traditional STEM fields for men, narrower earnings dispersion for women across fields, and gender differences in cost sensitivity and risk aversion. Our findings highlight how tuition policy interacts with gender-specific incentives to shape both university enrollment and major choices.Keywords: Post-secondary Education, University Enrollment, Gender, Tuition, STEMJEL Classification: I23, J16, I28, I22Tuition Increases and University Behavior: Theory and Evidence on Student Enrollment
YouthView: A Platform for Interactive Visualisations to Explore Youth Disadvantage
Link to Working PaperAbstractIn many economies, youth unemployment rates over the past two decades have exceeded 10 percentage points, highlighting that not all youth successfully transition from schooling to employment. Equally disturbing are the high rates of young adults not observed in employment, education, or training, a rate commonly referred to as "NEET." There is not a single pathway for successful transitions. Understanding these pathways and the influences of geographic location, employment opportunities, and family and community characteristics that contribute to positive transitions is crucial. While abundant data exists to support this understanding, it is often siloed and not easily combined to inform schools, communities, and policymakers about effective strategies and necessary changes. Researchers prefer working with datasets, while many stakeholders favour results presented through storytelling and visualisations. This paper introduces YouthView, an innovative online platform designed to provide comprehensive insights into youth transition challenges and opportunities. YouthView integrates information from datasets on youth disadvantage indicators, employment, skills demand, and job vacancy at regional levels. The platform features two modes: a guided storytelling mode with selected visualisations, and an open-ended suite of exploratory dashboards for in-depth data analysis. This dual approach enables policymakers, community organisations, and education providers to gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by different communities. By illuminating spatial patterns, socioeconomic disparities, and relationships between disadvantage factors and labour market dynamics, YouthView facilitates informed decision making and the development of targeted interventions, ultimately contributing to improved youth economic outcomes and expanded opportunities in areas of greatest need.Keywords: youth disadvantage, youth transitions, labour market, integrated data, evidence-basedYouthView: A Platform for Interactive Visualisations to Explore Youth Disadvantage
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse