Motivated by the large differences in labor market outcomes across college majors, we survey the literature on the demand for and return to high school and post-secondary education by field of study. We combine elements from several papers to provide a dynamic model of education and occupation choice that stresses the roles of specificity of human…

A theoretical model of educational demand is provided and the model is tested employing both time series and cross-sectional data. Cross-sectional findings employing the Zellner SUR technique are presented. Policy implications are offered. (Author/MLW)

To improve educational research, this article suggests using an industrial model to analyze the educational system. Questions arising from such a model--involving inputs, outputs, prices, technology, consumer characteristics, and intra-industry structure--are related to existing educational research and to needed future research. (Author/RW)

The feasibility and potential relevance of comprehensive planning models for postsecondary education are examined, focusing on the two most widely discussed models of this type: (1) the Postsecondary Education Financing Model (PEFM) of the National Commission on the Financing of Postsecondary Education, and (2) the Federal Planning Model (FPM) of…

Proposes a framework for analyzing education policy from an economic perspective. The framework takes into account educational supply and demand, structure of the education system, economic effects, and their interrelations. Discusses key economic issues in the analysis of education policy. (EV)

This paper discusses educational planning activities in which the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has had some involvement. Only a part of these activities are dealt with--national educational planning within the context of economic and social development. An attempt is made to show how OECD's work in educational…

Summary of the discussion document, issued by the Department of Education and Science and the Scottish Education Department, that considers the implications of declining enrollment in primary and secondary schools in Britain for the pattern of higher education over the next 15 years. Policy options are explored. (Author/JMD)

A model of student sociological and economic choice processes in higher education enrollment is described. The model includes choice by preference, exclusion, and evaluation options. Choice tactics are discussed, including academic experience, efficiency, tradeoffs, and agency decisions. Public policy implications are considered. (CM)

Market ideology and its empirical applications, it is suggested, cannot be used to justify public higher education with a strong liberal arts component. Advocates of public higher education must articulate an effective alternative ideology that could be developed out of the progressive and democratic traditions in its political history.…

Past "elitist" development efforts modeled on Western academic education have failed to meet manpower needs but resist change due to popular preference for "modern" occupations. A new development strategy providing universal basic education and improved general living standards is needed. (Part of a theme issue on Third World educational…

Many proponents of school choice use the claim of the market's capability to enhance efficiency and improve performance to call for its expansion. But no markets are perfectly competitive, and the local market for public goods is filled with institutional arrangements that make it differ from the neoclassical ideal. In this paper, we look at a…

Analyzes an Israeli university's problem in optimizing the quality and quantity of electrical engineers in response to fluctuating enrollment. An equilibrium model considers the effect of students' occupation choice and the university's decision on the current and future demand and supply of engineers, in order to predict the equilibrium number of…

The Netherlands is currently considering a change from special schools for special education students to a more inclusive, demand-oriented model of finance and provision. The experiences of Germany, England, and Austria suggest that "pupil-bound budgets" may strengthen parental choice and support inclusion, but may also lead to budget…

This book examines three issues that will have a significant influences on all institutions of higher education in the United States: (1) the growth and composition of undergraduate enrollments; (2) the supply of faculty in the academic labor market; and (3) the skyrocketing cost of operating colleges and universities. Part 1 focuses on the demand…

The use of demand-side financing mechanisms and vouchers for postcompulsory secondary-level education was examined through case studies of funding practices in the following countries: Austria; France; the United Kingdom; the United States; and Wallonia (the French community of Belgium). Different models of voucher use were identified in the…