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Out of Work and Into School: Labor Market Policies and College Enrollment During the Great Recession

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  • Andrew Barr
  • Sarah E. Turner

Abstract

The Great Recession brought large increases in unemployment and college enrollment; we explore how changing labor market conditions affected the decision to enroll, focusing on the role of state-specific dimensions of Unemployment Insurance (UI) policy. We measure the enrollment response to changing economic conditions, comparing eighteen and nineteen year-olds with older individuals likely to have accumulated some labor market experience. We find that individuals in their mid to late-twenties are proportionally more responsive to cyclical variation in economic conditions, and we identify a substantial role of the UI program in determining post-secondary enrollment outcomes. States in which academic post-secondary programs unrelated to a specific occupation are allowable under UI have substantially magnified enrollment responses to local economic conditions. In addition, we provide some of the first evidence that the duration of UI affects a displaced individual’s propensity to enroll. These findings identify a substantial overlap between UI policy and post-secondary enrollment decisions, indicating the potential importance of UI in not only providing income but also facilitating investments in skills.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Barr & Sarah E. Turner, 2014. "Out of Work and Into School: Labor Market Policies and College Enrollment During the Great Recession," CESifo Working Paper Series 4732, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_4732
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • H53 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs

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