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Skills in College: Cross-National Evidence from China, India, Russia, and the United States

Paper Session

Friday, Jan. 3, 2020 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (PDT)

Manchester Grand Hyatt, Harbor D
Hosted By: Association for Comparative Economic Studies
  • Chair: Prashant Loyalka, Stanford University

Skills in College: China, India, Russia, and the United States

Prashant Loyalka
,
Stanford University

Abstract

Higher education systems presumably impart advanced skills necessary for individuals and nations to be competitive in the global economy. We present the first test of this by collecting and analyzing nationally representative, standardized data on college-level skills from four major economic powers. We find stark differences in critical thinking and academic skills at college induction and after two years. We then show substantial variation in skill gains across countries: skills increase, remain fixed, and even decrease during college. Taken together, these findings suggest reconsidering investments in higher education and the role of higher education in skill development and growth.

Managing Multiple Goals: Research and Teaching in Colleges

Yong Suk Lee
,
Stanford University
Dinsha Mistree
,
Stanford University

Abstract

We examine management practices in organizational settings where employees work towards multiple goals that are often not aligned. Using longitudinal data that we collected from close to 18,000 students and 5,000 faculty in 260 college departments across India and in line with theoretical predictions from a standard principal-agent model (in which agents/principals have multiple tasks/goals), we find that management practices are associated with an increase in research output but not student learning. Management practices are associated with higher research productivity in research-oriented departments but do not appear to improve student learning in either research- or teaching-oriented departments. In cases in which organizations have multiple goals, management practices might be less influential than previously found.

The Effect of Faculty Research on Student Achievement

Igor Chirikov
,
University of California-Berkeley

Abstract

The effect of faculty research on university student learning has long been the subject of intense debate. Qualitative and quantitative studies have been limited in informing this debate because they use subjective or non-standardized measures of university student learning and focus on correlation rather than causation. Relying on unique data on computer science and engineering students and faculty from nationally representative samples of 28 universities from China, 50 colleges in India, and 29 universities from Russia as well as an identification strategy that utilizes within-student variation, we estimate the impact of faculty research on objective, standardized measures of student achievement. Results show that faculty research has a consistent, negative and statistically significant impact on student achievement.

Skills in College and Labor Market Outcomes

Paul Glewwe
,
University of Minnesota

Abstract

We examine the relationship between (cognitive and non-cognitive) skill levels and gains in college and labor market outcomes both for the average student and for disadvantaged subgroups. To do this, we analyze unique nationally representative panel data that we collected from two major countries and in three waves on skill levels and gains from the middle to the end of college as well as labor market outcomes one year after graduation. We examine the relationship of both domain-specific and domain-general cognitive skills such as math, science, and critical thinking, as well as non-cognitive skills such as the Big 5 Personality Inventory and sociability (measured using complete social network data).
Discussant(s)
William Pyle
,
Middlebury College
JEL Classifications
  • I2 - Education and Research Institutions
  • J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor