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Education expansion, college choice and labour market success

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  • Braccioli, Federica
  • Ghinetti, Paolo
  • Moriconi, Simone
  • Naguib, Costanza
  • Pellizzari, Michele

Abstract

We study the choice of acquiring STEM and non-STEM college education using variation induced by the proximity to universities offering different types of programs. We adopt a novel methodology allowing the identification of the distribution of response types and treatment effects in a multiple unordered discrete choice setting (Heckman and Pinto, 2018). The empirical analysis is based on confidential survey data for Italy, combined with administrative information about the founding dates of all Italian universities and faculties. We find that most compliers are women at the margin of choosing STEM education versus not going to college. We simulate the effects of expanding the supply of STEM education and discover that, in addition to substantial effects on employment, the gender disparity in STEM education could potentially decrease by up to 20%.

Suggested Citation

  • Braccioli, Federica & Ghinetti, Paolo & Moriconi, Simone & Naguib, Costanza & Pellizzari, Michele, 2023. "Education expansion, college choice and labour market success," CEPR Discussion Papers 18712, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:18712
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monotonicity; Instrumental variables;

    JEL classification:

    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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