Public Investment In Education Research Articles

Growth Effects of Spatial Redistribution Policies

Regional income disparities have increased in many European countries during the last three decades, even as national and supra-national policy instruments were created to correct them. To explain these evolutions, we develop a two-region, two-sector model with migration and public investment in infrastructure and education. Accumulation and creation of new ideas and technologies are at the core of differential regional growth. Together with regional migration, these forces are also responsible for diverging industrial structures, with the lagging region also falling behind in innovation. In this framework, we assess the effectiveness of structural funds, modelled on the EU policy. In a numerical example calibrated to Portugal, we find that, to diminish the initial gap in income per capita, the backward region needs to receive around 9% of its own GDP in structural funds, while the actual disbursements were around 4%. We also find that maximizing innovation in the backward region conflicts in the short run with the goal of maximizing its income per capita. Moreover, the rich region has an incentive to bias the allocation of structural funds towards human capital formation.

Growth effects of spatial redistribution policies

Regional income disparities have increased in many European countries recently, even as national and supra-national policy instruments were created to correct them. To explain these evolutions, we develop a two-region, two-sector model with migration and public investment in infrastructure and education. Accumulation and creation of new ideas and technologies as well as migration are at the core of differential regional growth. In this framework, we assess the effectiveness of structural funds, modeled on the EU policy. In a numerical example calibrated to Portugal, we find that, to diminish the initial gap in income per capita, the backward region needs to receive over 8% of its own GDP in structural funds, while the actual disbursements were around 4%. We also find that maximizing innovation in the backward region conflicts in the short run with the goal of maximizing its income per capita. Moreover, the rich region has an incentive to bias the allocation of structural funds towards human capital formation.

And They’re Off

The Race to the Top fund (RTT) is intended to be a major federal investment in state and local education capacity and systemic education reforms aligned with federal policy priorities. In coming years, questions will be asked about the extent to which investments made through the RTT grant program improve educational productivity and effectiveness. This article establishes a baseline profile for how states and localities intend to invest federal RTT funds. The authors’ initial look at states’ RTT budgets provides an early indication of the amounts and types of investments in public education that are likely to result from the RTT program as well as raises critical questions for consideration in future evaluations of the RTT grant program.

PROTOCOL: Farmer Field Schools for Improving Farming Practices and Farmer Outcomes in Low‐ and Middle‐income Countries: A Systematic Review

Farmer field schools (FFS) are a common approach used to transfer specialist knowledge, promote skills and empower farmers around the world. At least 10 million farmers in 90 countries have attended such schools. FFS are implemented by facilitators using participatory "discovery-based" learning based on adult education principles. Many different implementing bodies have been involved. Field schools have a range of objectives, including tackling overuse of pesticides and other harmful practices, improving agricultural and environmental outcomes, and empowering disadvantaged farmers such as women. We conducted a systematic review of evidence on FFS implementation to investigate whether FFS make a difference, to which farmers, and why or why not. We synthesised quantitative evidence on intervention effects using statistical meta-analysis, and qualitative evidence on the barriers and enablers of effectiveness using a theory of change framework. The results of statistical meta-analysis provide evidence that FFS are beneficial in improving intermediate outcomes relating to knowledge learned and adoption of beneficial practices, as well as final outcomes relating to agricultural production and farmers' incomes. The findings suggest this to be the case for FFS promoting integrated pest management (IPM) technology, as well as other techniques. However, the rigorous impact evaluation evidence base is small and there are no studies that we were able to identify as having a low risk of bias. There is no evidence that neighbouring non-participant farmers benefit from diffusion of IPM knowledge from FFS participants. Therefore, they do not experience improvements in IPM adoption and agriculture outcomes. The evidence of positive effects on agricultural outcomes is largely limited to short-term evaluations of pilot programmes. In the few examples where FFS have been scaled up, the evidence does not suggest they have been effective in improving agricultural outcomes among participating farmers or neighbouring non-participants. Although empowerment is a major objective of many FFS, very few studies have collected information on this outcome in a rigorous manner. A few studies suggest farmers feel greater self-confidence. What explains the lack of scalable effects among FFS participants, or diffusion of IPM practices among the community? FFS differ from standard agricultural extension interventions, which tend to focus on disseminating knowledge of more simple practices such as application of fertiliser and pesticides, or adoption of improved seeds. The experiential nature of the training, and the need for the benefits of the FFS technology to be observed, are barriers to spontaneous diffusion. Furthermore, the effectiveness of scaled-up interventions has been hampered by problems in recruiting and training appropriate facilitators at scale. The review provides implications for policy, practice and research.

Making value: craft in changing times

This paper analyses the working lives of contemporary craft makers1 in England and their contributions to the country's cultural sector, and reflects on the enabling role of public sector investment in maximising this economic contribution. First, the types of project and role undertaken by contemporary craft makers are investigated, with a focus on makers who adopt portfolio working patterns. Identified trends include role diversification and an increasing embeddedness within creative industry supply chains, with makers increasingly providing services as well as products and working to supply other businesses as well as consumers. Second, the distinctive contribution made by makers working in this way is analysed, and the centrality of craft knowledge, skills and working practices to innovation, user-centred design and the creation of expressive value is asserted. The value of portfolio working as a business strategy is articulated both in terms of enhancing makers' commercial sustainability and creative growth, and of producing significant contributions for industries including architecture and design, tourism and heritage, advertising and events, and film and television. Third, factors influencing makers' successful adoption of portfolio working patterns are identified, with new recognition given to the valuing of creative dynamics between collaborative and solo working, and between different elements of a portfolio practice. Tensions and challenges for portfolio working makers are also elicited, with the need to achieve an appropriate balance between opportunity, income generation and creative focus identified as a critical challenge for many. The influence of public investment in higher education and professional development programmes under the New Labour government is considered, in the context of a changing UK political climate. As craft, design and the wider cultural sector respond to economic, social and political change, the paper provides a timely analysis of shifting patterns of work and creativity in transition to a new era.

The Fiscal Impacts of College Attainment

This study quantifies one important part of the economic return to public investment in college education, namely, the fiscal benefits associated with greater college attainment. College graduates generally pay much more in taxes than those not going to college. Government expenditures are also generally much less for college graduates than for those without a college education. Indeed, over an average lifetime, total government spending per college degree is negative. That is, direct savings in post-college government expenditures are greater than government expenditures on higher education. Further, the direct extra tax revenues from college graduates alone are more than six times the gross government cost per college degree. Thus, in addition to the many other benefits from higher education, public financial support of college education pays for itself many times over. On average, government funding for higher education is a sound public investment, even if governments had no other reasons to promote and encourage college education and if the higher-education sector produced nothing but college-educated taxpayers.

Public attitudes towards the welfare state and public policy: the Israeli experience

This article provides data and insights into Israeli public opinion about the welfare state and social policy. The study included 940 respondents who reported their attitudes towards various issues related to the welfare state. The study was conducted in spring 2008 prior to the current economic crisis. The findings show that, to a large extent, the Israeli public justifies state intervention in the supply of public services, supports public investment in services related to the welfare state, and recognizes the obligation to support those in need. As for various policy areas, the Israeli public regards education as a top priority, believing that investment in public education is likely to lead to achievements in other areas such as security and health. However, when asked about their willingness to pay more taxes for services related to the welfare state, respondents tended to be less enthusiastic. The research points to a significant gap between the social and economic policies in the past decade and the attitudes of large parts of Israeli society towards the welfare state. We provide possible explanations for that gap.

Preparing the University Community to Respond to 21st Century Global Public Health Needs

Previous investments in public health research and education played major roles in improving population health and increasing life expectancy [1,2]. In the early 1900s, amidst efforts to eliminate hookworm from the southern United States (US), Welch and Flexner recognized the need to train public health leaders. They proposed a freestanding public health school affiliated with, but independent from, the university and medical school, charged with training a public health workforce to improve the lifespan and ‘‘health span’’ of populations [3,4]. We now stand at a similar junction as in 1900, confronted with a vastly different set of growing health burdens: chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [5]. These diseases cause significant mortality and morbidity on their own, but also exacerbate existing population health issues. For example, diabetes can increase the risk for tuberculosis [25]; anti-retrovirals given to HIV/ AIDs patients can increase cardio metabolic risk [26,27]; under-nutrition in utero or during early childhood increases risks of NCDs later in life [28]. Here, we argue that the university community (UC), with its key constituents (institution leaders plus faculty and students derived from all disciplines), can be leveraged to improve 21st century public health. Driven by a common set of behavioral risk factors (diet, physical inactivity, tobacco and alcohol use) and underlying environmental exposures (e.g., rapid urbanization and globalization of societies), NCDs – heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory illness, and cancers, as well as mental health disorders and injuries – now con-

Enseignement supérieur et durées de subvention individuelle implicite

Résumé À partir d’un modèle de microsimulation dynamique, nous analysons l’investissement public pour l’enseignement supérieur dans une perspective d’équité fiscale. Nos résultats montrent l’existence d’une déconnexion entre la contribution fiscale des diplômés et les financements publics à la formation tertiaire dont ils ont bénéficié. Nous considérons qu’une partie importante des impôts payés par les diplômés du supérieur tout au long de leur vie servent à couvrir les dépenses de formation tertiaire initiales dont ils ont bénéficié. La durée de subvention implicite médiane correspond alors à 18 % du cycle de vie fiscal d’un contribuable diplômé du supérieur, mais est sensiblement différente selon le type de diplôme.

A efetividade de programas sociais de acesso à educação superior: o caso do ProUni

A pesquisa adotou uma perspectiva qualitativa, tendo sido abordados bolsistas do ProUni por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas em profundidade. Os resultados revelam que embora este programa atenda às expectativas de inclusão no ensino superior, sendo-lhe atribuídas diversas expectativas e evidências de ascensão profissional e social, há críticas consideráveis, o que indica a necessidade de ajustes por parte dos formuladores de políticas públicas educacionais. Em que pese o escopo do ProUni, as conclusões indicam que, mesmo atingindo grande número de brasileiros, esta iniciativa mascara a necessidade de investimentos maciços em educação pública e de qualidade.

Educación Y Movilidad Social En México (Education and Soical Mobility in Mexico)

This article analyzes the relationship between education and social mobility in the case of Mexico using the ESRU. According to our estimates, there is evidence of considerable levels of positive educational mobility between generations and intra generations over the past decades. At the same time, the educational mobility implies mobility of socio-economic level measured in terms of income. The lower educational level of parents, the higher impact of the educational progress on the income of subsequent generations. Our main results are consistent with the trends derived from similar analysis using the national survey of income and expenditure of households in the year 2006, which can be interpreted as a test of robustness. Also, the results suggest that investment in education, particularly, in public education that grants access to educational services for the open population, constitutes an investment in equity. Through access to education, the level of well-being of the present generations is less dependent on the social position of their household of origin. In addition, we identify that the higher performance of public investment in education in terms of social mobility, is obtained by investing in households whose head has lower levels of education.

Crises and Inequality: Lessons from the Global Food, Fuel, Financial and Economic Crises of 2008-10

Abstract This article points to three main lessons for social policy from the global crises of 2008–10. First, there is evidence that the crises and their public finance ramifications could be characterized as ‘anti-poor’. Second, even as the recovery begins to benefit the banking and financial sectors where the financial crisis began, it may also tend to further marginalize the poor, who are likely at their weakest and most vulnerable point, having undertaken a variety of coping strategies that are difficult to reverse quickly (e.g. drawing down on assets and possibly selling productive ones, taking on more debt, pulling children out of school). Third, if the crisis harms the poor and the ensuing recovery excludes them, then this could exacerbate inequity in human development. To prevent this, there is a need for pro-poor countercyclical fiscal policies, boosting social spending and investments, as well as building on and adequately financing social protection systems, not just for poverty reduction but also to boost resilience against future crises. Policy Implications • In order to prevent poor and low-income families from suffering a double disadvantage from crises, and in order to mitigate possibly rising inequality from a world faced with frequent aggregate shocks, policy makers need to consider specific policy strategies that temper the social and economic impact of aggregate shocks, including through countercyclical social spending and boosting social protection systems. • As millions of poor and low-income families have shifted from private to public providers of education, health and other services, straining existing public sector capacities, now is not the time to scale back on public investments in education and health. Especially, child-friendly budgets will be critically needed in the medium term. • Spending on nutrition programs is a particularly important area for action, given that the combined effects of the food crisis and the global economic slowdown are likely to persist in many parts of the world. Indeed international food prices have shot up again in 2011. • For many countries, the global crisis was an opportunity to channel more resources into their social protection systems. These could be dramatically scaled up (covering more components) and scaled out (covering more families and beneficiaries). • In boosting social protection systems, nuanced policy interventions will be required as these need to address the specific vulnerabilities of different groups in society, for example women.

Human Capital as a Vehicle for Africa’s Economic Transformation

The paper attempts to rekindle the debate of low human capital base as a bane of Africa’s economic transformation. The paper attributes developmental gap between Africa and the rest of the world to its relatively weak human capital base. Low public investment in education culminating in limited access to education, poorly motivated teachers and overstretched tools and facilities remain key challenges to Africa’s human capital development. Africa’s human capital base can be enhanced through improved public investment in education and private sector participation in provision of education, measures to reverse brain drain, and effective collaboration between educational institutions and industry.

A Resource-Based Approach to the Modeling and Simulation of Income Distribution: The Case of Pakistan

Developing countries are affected by evident and persistent asymmetric income distribution. The increasing relevance of this issue to development agendas sets the need for planning tools that can support the analysis of the long-term impacts of alternative policies on income distribution. For this purpose we use a resource-based approach and develop a System Dynamics based simulation model, which we apply to the case of Pakistan. The model focuses on the processes of the accumulation of physical and human capital, which we consider as the endogenous sources of household income. Policy analysis suggests that public investment in education and micro-credit, financed by a modest increase in income tax for the high-income groups, positively affects equitable income distribution and economic growth. We believe that the analytical framework developed integrates and complements existing approaches to modeling income distribution by providing a broader and longer term perspective.

Conhecimento sobre HIV/AIDS de participantes de um grupo de idosos, em Anápolis-Goiás

OBJETIVO: identificar o conhecimento sobre a infecção pelo HIV/AIDS, dos participantes do Centro de Convivência do Idoso (CCI) em Anápolis, Goiás. MÉTODO: foram entrevistados 224 idosos participantes do CCI, sendo coletados dados sociodemográficos e comportamentais, e dados referentes às formas de transmissão do HIV. RESULTADO: houve predominância do sexofeminino, de baixa escolaridade, baixa renda familiar e cor branca. Quase a metade dos idosos relatou vida sexual ativa. Desses, a maioria não faz uso de preservativo (67%). Apesar de a maioria ter conhecimento sobre as formas de transmissão, ainda acredita que picada de mosquito (79,9%), compartilhamento de sabonetes e toalhas (62,1%), talheres, copos e pratos (62,3%) podem transmitir o vírus. CONCLUSÕES: constatou-se que, apesar do bom nível de conhecimento demonstrado pelos participantes, ainda persistem dúvidas quanto às formas de transmissão, demonstrando a necessidade de investimentos públicos na educação que resulta em aumento do conhecimento e redução dos riscos.

Matching Higher Education with the Labour Market in the Knowledge Economy

It is argued that in the knowledge economy and in the context of the current restrictions on public finance, matching the output of higher education with the needs of the labour market is not simply one of many key issues for policy makers addressing the sustainability of higher education: it is ‘the’ issue. As the sources of funding for universities are almost entirely domestic and, in most countries, primarily governmental, politicians are expected to ensure that increasing public investment in higher education is justified in terms of the benefits accruing to the domestic workforce and investors. In so doing, they must avoid disrupting the international, free community of scholars and students engaged in the pursuit of knowledge and, thus, destroying the historical source of wealth creation that academia represents. This article considers the current debate in Europe and recent research on the interactions between universities and labour markets. The reform of university governance in Italy, regarded as much-needed and overdue, is evaluated in this context; and the assumptions on which such reform might be based, and the potential for aligning higher education more closely to the labour market, are examined.

Ageing, Labour Force Participation and Education: Comparing the Implications for Economic Growth in China and India

An ageing population will result, over the next forty years, in a fall in China’s labour force as the more youthful Indian labour force continues to grow. However, we find that growth in output per capita has been dominated, in both countries, by growth in labour productivity. China’s stronger labour productivity performance has resulted, until recently, from a stronger growth in their capital/labour ratio. Now, however, it is the growth of China’s total factor productivity, driven by a much stronger public investment in education, that keeps them ahead. To match China, India must increase participation in education and in the workforce, especially amongst women.

Taxation and educational development: Evidence from British India

This paper measures the effects of public expenditures on literacy in early 20th century British India. Using a new dataset and an instrumental variables strategy, I find that public investments in primary education had positive and statistically significant effects on literacy. A 10 percent increase in 1911 per-capita spending or 44 additional primary schools would have translated into a 2.6 percentage point increase in 1921 literacy in the population aged 15–20. The findings, however, differ by gender: the IV estimates on spending are statistically significant only for male literacy. India’s historical experience thus suggests that building more schools would not have solved the problem of female illiteracy that continues to persist even today.

The Fiscal Impacts of College Attainment

This study quantifies one part of the return to U.S. public investment in college education, namely, the fiscal benefits associated with greater college attainment. College graduates pay much more taxes than those not going to college. Government expenditures are also much less for college graduates than for those without a college education. Indeed, over an average lifetime, total government spending per college degree is negative. That is, direct savings in post-college government expenditures (conservatively, about $85,000 per four-year-equivalent degree over an average lifetime) are greater than government expenditures on higher education (generously, about $74,500 per degree). Plus, the direct extra tax revenues from college graduates alone (roughly $471,000 per degree over a lifetime) are more than six times the gross government cost per college degree. The average real fiscal internal rate of return on government investment in college students is conservatively estimated to be 10.3%.

Assessing the efficiency of hazelnut production

This study investigates production efficiency of hazelnut farmers located in the Carsamba Plain, Samsun-Turkey. A sample of 78 farmers was selected by a two-stage sampling process. Data Envelopment Analysis and Tobit Regression Analysis found that production efficiency of the hazelnut farmers ranged from 26.1 to 100.0%, with an average of 73.5%. This level of technical efficiency is consistent with the technical efficiency found in other studies of crop production in developing countries. Nevertheless, 70.5% of the hazelnut farms are using inputs inefficiently. A statistically significant positive relationship between a farmer’s education and a farm’s technical efficiency underscores the need for public investment in rural education to improve the efficient use of inputs. A statistically insignificant relationship between farm size and a farm’s technical efficiency implies that education programs should be available to all farmers regardless of the size of their farm. Moreover, the statistically significant relationship between farm fragmentation and efficiency is consistent with the importance of land consolidation program. Key words: Data envelopment analysis, technical efficiency, hazelnut, Turkey.