Field of Study, Earnings, and Self-Selection*

This article examines the labor market payoffs to different types of postsecondary education, including field and institution of study. Instrumental variables (IV) estimation of the payoff to choosing one type of education compared to another is made particularly challenging by individuals choosing between several types of education. Not only does identification require one instrument per alternative, but it is also necessary to deal with the issue that individuals who choose the same education may have different next-best alternatives. We address these difficulties using rich administrative data for Norway’s postsecondary education system. A centralized admission process creates credible instruments from discontinuities that effectively randomize applicants near unpredictable admission cutoffs into different institutions and fields of study. The admission process also provides information on preferred and next-best alternatives from strategy-proof measures of individuals’ ranking of institutions and fields. The results from our IV approach may be summarized with three broad conclusions. First, different fields of study have substantially different labor market payoffs, even after accounting for institution and peer quality. Second, the effect on earnings from attending a more selective institution tends to be relatively small compared to payoffs to field of study. Third, the estimated payoffs to field of study are consistent with individuals choosing fields in which they have a comparative advantage. Comparing our estimates to those obtained from other approaches highlights the importance of using instruments to correct for selection bias and information on individuals’ ranking of institutions and fields to measure their preferred and next-best alternatives.

Evaluation of awareness level of indian graduate aspirants towards entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship concepts: A selective study

This paper seeks to know the awareness level of Indian graduate aspirants towards Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship concepts. Under descriptive research, survey method was conducted at a selective institution in Andhra pradesh. A sample of 129 out of 573 was drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling technique, out of which 113 had filled the forms and the leftover 16 were absent at the time of survey. The data was collected using schedule with 13 questions and the data analysis was done using descriptive statistics measure and percentages. From the analysis, it was found that about 53.98% of graduates heard about Entrepreneurship and only 18.58% heard about Intrapreneurship. Very few graduates have designated that certain most significant motives, characteristics and skills required for becoming successful Entrepreneurs or Intrapreneurs. It was also identified that only 23.89% and 7.9% of the total 113 graduate aspirants were willing to become Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs correspondingly. The major limitation of the study was that the survey meant for the chosen institution and had excluded the discussion of financial sources for Entrepreneurs or Intrapreneurs, left for further research. Lastly, it was concluded that the graduates were not clearly aware of the concepts, there arises a need to implant the concepts for their growth and our nation aswell.

The Impact of Class Size on Outcomes in Higher Education

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of class size on student outcomes. This analysis contributes to this discussion by isolating the impact of class size on student outcomes in higher education by utilizing a natural experiment at a selective institution which enables the estimation of class size effects conditional on the total number of students taught by a faculty member. We find that class size negatively impacts student assessments of courses and instructors. Large classes appear to prompt faculty to alter their courses in ways deleterious to students.

Playing the Admissions Game: Student Reactions to Increasing College Competition

Gaining entrance to a four-year college or university, particularly a selective institution, has become increasingly competitive over the last several decades. We document this phenomenon and show how it has varied across different parts of the student ability distribution and across regions, with the most pronounced increases in competition being found among higher-ability students and in the Northeast. Additionally, we explore how the college preparatory behavior of high school seniors has changed in response to the growth in competition. We also discuss the theoretical implications of increased competition on longer-term measures of learning and achievement and attempt to test them empirically; the evidence and related literature, while limited, suggests little long-term benefit.

An Institutional Shelter: The Court of Wards in Late Nineteenth-Century Bihar

The late nineteenth century was a period of selective institution-building by the British in India. Government's efforts were directed primarily towards the development of a more effective control and communications infrastructure. The initial impetus for such changes in Bengal came during the energetic administration of Sir George Campbell, the Lieutenant Governor from 1871 to 1874. Under his auspices, attempts were made to extend the administrative machinery down to the sub-district levels by the creation of sub-deputy collectorships and the revitalization of such local officials as kanungos (registrars), patwaris (village accountants) and chaukidars (village watchmen). Better connections to local society were also sought through institutions which linked government to its allies, such as municipal, local, and district boards, and the Court of Wards.

Factors Affecting Response to White Intellectual Standards at Two Negro Colleges

Two experiments were done on the effects of the race of an examiner and objective probability of success (Pa) on southern Negro college students' performance at cognitive tasks that were defined as mental tests with white norms. The tasks were arithmetic and digit-symbol substitution. The hypothesis was that Ss would perform better with a Negro tester when Pa was low or medium but as well or better with a white tester when Pa was high. The prediction was confirmed in Exp. I, which was carried out at an academically nonselective institution. Exp. II was a replication at an academically more selective institution. Here S's responded more favorably to the white tester in all Pa conditions. Individual differences in general success-failure orientation were not related to performance.