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Regional Variation of Returns to Education

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  • Backman, Mikaela

    (Jönköping International Business School, & Centre for Entrepreneurship and Spatial Economics (CEnSE))

Abstract

Returns to education are mainly influenced by the characteristics of the individual. However, returns are also likely to depend on location characteristics. Thus, there are different location premiums for educational attainment. This paper analyse the regional variation of returns to education where Swedish municipal markets are divided into four categories based on size and commuting patterns. Through the obtained results, the often-assumed hypothesis of equal returns to education for all regions in a country can be rejected. Highest returns to education are found in municipalities in metropolitan functional regions and the lowest in peripheral municipalities in small functional regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Backman, Mikaela, 2013. "Regional Variation of Returns to Education," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 300, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:cesisp:0300
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Returns to education; regional attributes; fixed-effects model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H52 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Education
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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