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Where they go, what they do and why it matters: The importance of geographic accessibility and social class for decisions relating to higher education institution type, degree level and field of study

Author

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  • Darragh Flannery

    (Department of Economics, University of Limerick)

  • John Cullinan

    (School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland, Galway)

Abstract

The factors influencing the decision of school leavers to participate in higher education has been extensively investigated previously. This has mainly focused on the influence of characteristics such as parental education level, social class and spatial factors on the decision to participate in higher education at a broad level. However, given the influence the type of tertiary education pursued may have on future labour market outcomes, an understanding of the factors behind more specific higher education outcomes decisions is important. Within this context, this paper focuses on the influence of geographic accessibility and social class on young people when making decisions relating to higher education institution type, degree level and field of study pursued using a rich Irish dataset. We estimate this relationship using a bivariate probit framework and controlling for a range of other variables we find evidence of significant spatial and socio-economic effects on these higher education outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Darragh Flannery & John Cullinan, 2013. "Where they go, what they do and why it matters: The importance of geographic accessibility and social class for decisions relating to higher education institution type, degree level and field of study," Working Papers WP042013, University of Limerick, Department of Economics, revised May 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:lim:wpaper:042013
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    12. Gibbons, Stephen & Vignoles, Anna, 2012. "Geography, choice and participation in higher education in England," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 98-113.
    13. I.J. Bateman & A.P. Jones & A.A. Lovett & I.R. Lake & B.H. Day, 2002. "Applying Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to Environmental and Resource Economics," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 22(1), pages 219-269, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. John Cullinan & Kevin Denny & Darragh Flannery, 2021. "A distributional analysis of upper secondary school performance," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 1085-1113, February.
    2. Judith M. Delaney & Paul J. Devereux, 2020. "How Gender and Prior Disadvantage Predict Performance in College," The Economic and Social Review, Economic and Social Studies, vol. 51(2), pages 189-239.
    3. Katarina Weßling, 2023. "Does the Region Make a Difference? Social Inequality in Transitions to Adulthood across Cohorts in West Germany," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-22, May.
    4. Diogo Lourenço & Carla Sá, 2019. "Spatial competition for students: What does (not) matter?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 63(1), pages 147-162, August.
    5. David Madden, 2022. "The socio‐economic gradient of cognitive test scores: evidence from two cohorts of Irish children," Fiscal Studies, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(3), pages 265-290, September.
    6. Maki Kato, 2019. "Effect of academic field and gender on college-bound migration in Japan," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 62(2), pages 351-379, April.
    7. Delaney, Judith M. & Devereux, Paul J., 2021. "Gender differences in college applications: Aspiration and risk management," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    8. Delaney, Judith M. & Devereux, Paul J., 2020. "Choosing differently? College application behavior and the persistence of educational advantage," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    9. Katarina Weßling & Nora Bechler, 2019. "Where do regional influences matter? The impact of socio-spatial indicators on transitions from secondary school to university [Wo hat Region einen Einfluss? Effekte sozialräumlicher Indikatoren au," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 39(2), pages 163-188, October.
    10. Polina Bugakova & Ilya Prakhov, 2020. "Regional Accessibility Of Higher Education In Russia," HSE Working papers WP BRP 58/EDU/2020, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    11. Clifford Afoakwah & Isaac Koomson, 2021. "How does school travel time impact children’s learning outcomes in a developing country?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1077-1097, December.
    12. Emanuela Ghignoni, 2015. "Family background and university dropouts during the crisis: the case of Italy," Working Papers in Public Economics 169, Department of Economics and Law, Sapienza University of Roma.

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    higher education institution type; degree level; field of study; geographic accessibility; social class;
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