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on Education |
|
Issue of 2008‒05‒10
five papers chosen by Joao Carlos Correia Leitao University of the Beira Interior |
| By: | Tansel, Aysit (Middle East Technical University); Bircan, Fatma (Middle East Technical University) |
| Abstract: | This paper first describes the educational system in Turkey an the two national examinations for advancing upper levels of schooling which give raise to the demand for private tutoring called “dersane” in Turkish. Second, the evolution of the Private tutoring Centers (PTC) are described and compared with the high schools in the country. Third, geographical distribution of the PTC, general high schools and the proportion of high school age population are compared over the provinces to give an idea about special equity issues. Other topics addressed include gender and PTC students, disruption of mainstream education, determinants of the demand for services of the PTCs, cost of PTCs and evidence on the effectiveness of PTCs. |
| Keywords: | private tutoring, education, demand for education |
| JEL: | I20 I21 I22 |
| Date: | 2008–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3471&r=edu |
| By: | Tim Krieger (University of Paderborn); Thomas Lange (Ifo institute for economic research & University of Konstanz) |
| Abstract: | In this paper we analyze the effect of increasing labor (i.e. graduates’/ academics’) and student mobility on net tax revenues when revenuemaximizing governments compete for human capital by means of income tax rates and amenities offered to students (positive expenditure) or rather tuition fees (negative expenditure). We demonstrate that these instruments are strategic complements and that increasing labor mobility due to ongoing globalization not necessarily implies intensified tax competition and an erosion of revenues. On the contrary, the equilibrium tax rate even increases in mobility. Amenities offered to students (or rather tuition fees) may either increase or decrease, and, overall, net revenues increase. An increase in student mobility, however, erodes revenues due to intensified tax and amenity competition. |
| Keywords: | labor mobility, student mobility, higher education, tax competition, public expenditure competition |
| JEL: | I22 J61 F22 H2 H87 |
| Date: | 2008–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pdn:wpaper:8&r=edu |
| By: | Hasan, Zubair |
| Abstract: | Over the past few decades Islamic finance has been the fastest growing segment of the global system. The fast growing market has necessitated corresponding expansion of education and training facilities to increase appropriately the supply of skilled manpower. This called for a stock taking of the adequacy and suitability of the existing educational and training facilities in several directions. IRTI has launched a project to accomplish this work. The present working paper looks at the range, sufficiency and quality of education in Islamic finance at the graduate level. It uses Malaysia as an illustrative case because the country is in the forefront of this development and has made several innovations and pioneering efforts in the field. This work finds that the graduate level finance education is not currently in a very satisfactory state. This is partly reflected in the increasing departure of financing expedients from the major goals of the Islamic system. The difference between the legality of transactions and their permissibility is usually ignored giving rise to perilous divisions at the juridical level. Validation of mixed banking opened the doors for convergence with the mainstream presumably to the disadvantage of Islamic finance long run, in education also. Some other points of significance that emanate from the foregoing discussion are in brief as under. 1. The unidirectional convergence of Islamic finance with the mainstream in practice is directing its educational approach and structure as well. In both cases it has some immediate advantages but has also potential to promote divisive and deviant tendencies in the area of Islamic finance. There already is some evidence on the point and has to be guarded against. 2. There is much diversity in the academic programmes and course structures in the area of Islamic finance within and between public institutions. Some degree of standardization with flexibility margins is desirable, feasible as well. Establishment of layered mutual consultation bodies and sharing of information may help. 3. Creation of research environment, foundational infrastructures based on positive filtering approach, sharing of knowledge and experience, cooperative teaching and ample funding may help build the critical mass to speed up research and build skills in the area of education. 4. Since the total number of students seeking doctoral degrees is not very large, their admission may be restricted to selected institutions where faculty and facilities could be strengthened to promote excellence. This will also allow pooling of teachers coupled with stricter screening of the students. The final product could thus be improved at reduced cost. 5. Academic administration must in general synchronize with academic hierarchy. Contribution to knowledge, research and supervision ought to be recognize and appropriately rewarded strictly on merit. 6. There should be arrangement for preparing reading material integrating mainstream positions and Islamic requirements. Classificatory approach that has mostly been followed so far has to go. Teachers should invariably be associated, rather lead such projects. The effort would produce Shari’ah literate economists. Advisory boards are today exclusively loaded with Shari’ah scholars who are often poor economists. Having both fuqha and economists on the boards would improve compliance. . This could have helped to avoid the controversy and confusion as is found today in the case of Sukuk markets. |
| Keywords: | Education; Islamic finance; Convergence consequences; Supervision; Curricula structures; Course designs; Private sector role; Critical mass; Western dominance |
| JEL: | A23 F30 |
| Date: | 2008 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:8615&r=edu |
| By: | Andrew Leigh; Xiaodong Gong |
| Abstract: | Improving cognitive skills of young children has been suggested as a possible strategy for equalising opportunities across racial groups. Using data on 4-5 year olds in the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children, we focus on two cognitive tests: the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) and the ‘Who Am I?’ test (WAI). We estimate the test score gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children to be about 0.3 to 0.4 standard deviations, suggesting that the typical Indigenous 5 year-old has a similar test score to the typical non-Indigenous 4 year-old. Between one-third and two-thirds of the Indigenous/non-Indigenous test score gap appears to be due to socio-economic differences, such as income and parental education. We review the literature on test score differences in Australia, and find that our estimated gaps are lower than most of those found in the literature. This implies that the test score gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous children may widen over the lifecycle, a finding that has implications for policies aimed at improving educational opportunities for Indigenous children. |
| Keywords: | cognitive ability, racial differentials, early childhood |
| JEL: | I20 J15 |
| Date: | 2008–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:auu:dpaper:578&r=edu |
| By: | Leuven, Edwin (University of Amsterdam); Oosterbeek, Hessel (University of Amsterdam); Rønning, Marte (Statistics Norway) |
| Abstract: | Using a comprehensive administrative database we exploit independent quasi-experimental methods to estimate the effect of class size on student achievement in Norway. The first method is based on a maximum class size rule in the spirit Angrist and Lavy (1999). The second method exploits population variation as first proposed by Hoxby (2000). The results of both methods (and of variations on these methods) are very similar and cannot reject that the class size effect is equal to zero. The estimates are very precise; we can rule out effects as small as 1.5 percent of a standard deviation for a one student change in class size during three years in a row. |
| Keywords: | class size, educational production |
| JEL: | I2 |
| Date: | 2008–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp3474&r=edu |