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Handbook of the Economics of Education

  • 1st Edition, Volume 5 - April 27, 2016
  • Latest edition
  • Editors: Eric A. Hanushek, Stephen J. Machin, Ludger Woessmann
  • Language: English

The volume of research into the economics of education has grown rapidly in recent years. In this comprehensive new Handbook, editors Eric Hanushek, Stephen Machin, and Ludger Wo… Read more

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Description

The volume of research into the economics of education has grown rapidly in recent years. In this comprehensive new Handbook, editors Eric Hanushek, Stephen Machin, and Ludger Woessmann assemble original contributions from leading researchers, addressing contemporary advances in the field. Each chapter illuminates major methodological and theoretical developments and directs the reader to productive new lines of research. As a result, these concise overviews of the existing literature offer an essential ‘jumpstart’ for both students and researchers alike.

Key features

  • Demonstrates how new methodologies are yielding fresh perspectives in education economics
  • Uses rich data to study issues of high contemporary policy relevance
  • Explores innovations in higher education, competition, and the uses of technology

Readership

Upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and researchers worldwide working in the economics of education

Table of contents

  • Introduction to the Series
  • Editors’ Introduction
  • Chapter 1: Behavioral Economics of Education: Progress and Possibilities
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Barriers to Treating Education as Investment
    • 3 Opportunities for Improvement
    • 4 Policies and Programs to Address Behavioral Barriers
    • 5 Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 2: Education Research and Administrative Data
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 The Benefits of Using Administrative Data in Education Research
    • 3 Case Studies
    • 4 Challenges Associated With the Use of Administrative Data
    • 5 The Use of Administrative Data Around the World
    • 6 Conclusions
  • Chapter 3: Charter Schools: A Survey of Research on Their Characteristics and Effectiveness
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 What Is a Charter School?
    • 3 Location and Clientele
    • 4 Effectiveness of Charter Schools
    • 5 Inside the Black Box
    • 6 Competitive Effects
    • 7 Summary and Conclusions
    • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 4: Competition Among Schools: Traditional Public and Private Schools
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 A Simple Framework
    • 3 The Evidence
    • 4 Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 5: Technology and Education: Computers, Software, and the Internet
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Technology Use in Schools
    • 3 Technology Use at Home by Students
    • 4 Conclusions
  • Chapter 6: Teacher Pensions
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Background on Retirement Benefit Plans for Educators
    • 3 Incentives for Educators
    • 4 Pension Plan Financing
    • 5 The Changing US Pension Landscape
    • 6 Teacher Pensions in Other OECD Countries
    • 7 Conclusion
  • Chapter 7: The Analysis of Field Choice in College and Graduate School: Determinants and Wage Effects
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Descriptives
    • 3 Model
    • 4 Estimating the Return to College Majors
    • 5 Choice of Major
    • 6 Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Appendix A: Distribution of Male and Female College Graduates by Field
  • Chapter 8: Student Loans and Repayment: Theory, Evidence, and Policy
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Trends
    • 3 Current Student Loan Environment
    • 4 Can College Students Borrow Enough?
    • 5 Do Some Students Borrow Too Much?
    • 6 Designing the Optimal Credit Program
    • 7 Key Principles and Policy Guidance
    • 8 Conclusions
    • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 9: Government-Sponsored Vocational Education for Adults
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Theory: Provision
    • 3 Theory: Participation in Training Programs
    • 4 Methods for Evaluating Vocational Training Programs
    • 5 United States
    • 6 United Kingdom
    • 7 Germany
    • 8 France
    • 9 Sweden
    • 10 Denmark
    • 11 Matching Participants to Training
    • 12 Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
  • Chapter 10: Improving Education Outcomes in Developing Countries: Evidence, Knowledge Gaps, and Policy Implications
    • Abstract
    • 1 Introduction
    • 2 Trends in Education Outcomes, 1990 to 2014
    • 3 Conceptual Issues
    • 4 Review of the Evidence
    • 5 Interpreting the Evidence, and Implications for Future Research
    • 6 Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
  • Index

Review quotes

"The Handbooks of the Economics of Education provide valuable surveys of the state of art in many aspects of this thriving field. They offer students and professionals alike guidance on the literature."—James J. Heckman, Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and Nobel Laureate in Economics

"The editors have assembled an impressive and ambitious list of subjects in this volume. I enjoy the handbook and am delighted by this expansion." --Eric Bettinger, Stanford University

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Volume: 5
  • Published: May 4, 2016
  • Language: English

About the editors

EH

Eric A. Hanushek

Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He is internationally recognized for his economic analysis of educational issues, and his research has had broad influence on education policy in both developed and developing countries. He received the Yidan Prize for Education Research in 2021. He is the author of numerous widely-cited studies on the effects of class size reduction, school accountability, teacher effectiveness, and other topics. He was the first to research teacher effectiveness by measuring students’ learning gains, which forms the conceptual basis for using value-added measures to evaluate teachers and schools, now a widely adopted practice. His recent book with Ludger Woessmann, The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth summarizes research establishing the close links between countries’ long-term rates of economic growth and the skill levels of their populations. He has authored or edited twenty-five books along with over 300 articles. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and completed his Ph.D. in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. [email protected]; http://hanushek.stanford.edu/
Affiliations and expertise
Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, CA, USA

SM

Stephen J. Machin

Stephen J. Machin is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, has been President of the European Association of Labour Economists, is a Fellow of the Society of Labor Economists and was an independent member of the UK Low Pay Commission from 2007-14. He was Chair of the Economics and Econometrics sub-panel of the UK’s 2021 Research Excellence Framework. He has researched and published extensively in various areas of empirical economics and public policy, including labour market inequality, the economics of education, industrial relations, social mobility, and the economics of crime. [email protected]; https://personal.lse.ac.uk/machin/
Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Economics, University College London and Director, Centre for the Economics of Education and Research Director, Centre for Economic Performance, UK

LW

Ludger Woessmann

Ludger Woessmann is the Director of the ifo Center for the Economics of Education and Professor of Economics at the University of Munich. He is also Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Being interested in the determinants of long-term prosperity of mankind, his main research focus is on the economics of education, especially the importance of education for economic prosperity and the effects of school systems on educational achievement and equality of opportunity. He is Fellow of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the Academic Advisory Council of the German Federal Ministry of Economics, and the International Academy of Education. https://sites.google.com/view/woessmann-e
Affiliations and expertise
Professor of Economics, University of Munich and Head, Human Capital and Innovation Department, Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Germany

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