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Improving Educational Investments: A Welfare Analysis for Europe

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  • Pfeiffer, Friedhelm
  • Reuss, Karsten

Abstract

This paper analyses in a novel way how educational investments can improve human capital formation in Europe, based on a model of age-dependent skill formation featuring dynamic complementarities. Counterfactual investment policies are evaluated with an Atkinson-Sen welfare function. Investments for individuals under the age of eighteen years are traced back to their family and teaching environment, whereas adult individuals optimise their educational investments. The model is calibrated for a population living in 29 European countries. Our findings demonstrate that more educational investments need to be directed at childhood to foster human capital formation across all European countries. Furthermore, if equality is rated high enough in the welfare function, the most disadvantaged people should receive more compensating educational investments during childhood. In a uniform European labour market educational investments yield higher returns in low income countries, since the transformation of human capital to income is improved.

Suggested Citation

  • Pfeiffer, Friedhelm & Reuss, Karsten, 2013. "Improving Educational Investments: A Welfare Analysis for Europe," Regional and Sectoral Economic Studies, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 13(3), pages 77-94.
    • Handle: RePEc:eaa:eerese:v:13:y2013:i:3_5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blomeyer Dorothea & Laucht Manfred & Coneus Katja & Pfeiffer Friedhelm, 2013. "Early Life Adversity and Children’s Competence Development: Evidence from the Mannheim Study of Children at Risk," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 233(4), pages 467-485, August.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Human capital; age-dependent skill formation; educational investment; Europe.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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