Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Efficiency and equity of European education and training policies

  • Policy Watch
  • Published:
International Tax and Public Finance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper reviews empirical evidence, especially from Europe, on how education and training policies can be designed to advance both efficiency and equity. Returns to educational investments tend to decrease over the life cycle. Moreover, they are the highest for disadvantaged children at early stages and for the well-off at late stages of the life cycle. This creates complementarities between efficiency and equity at early stages and trade-offs at late stages. The paper discusses specific policies for efficiency and equity at each educational stage, ranging from early childhood education and schools over vocational and higher education to training and lifelong learning. The available evidence suggests that both efficiency and equity can be enhanced by output-oriented reforms properly designed to each stage, where the state generally sets a regulatory framework that ensures accountability and funding, and uses the forces of choice and competition to deliver best results. Designed this way, education and training systems can advance efficiency and equity at the same time.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acemoglu, D. (2001). Human capital policies and the distribution of income: a framework for analysis and literature review (New Zealand Treasury Working Papers 01/03). Wellington: The Treasury.

  • Acemoglu, D., & Pischke, J.-S. (1999). Beyond Becker: training in imperfect labour markets. Economic Journal, 109(453), F112–F142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altonji, J. G., & Pierret, C. R. (2001). Employer learning and statistical discrimination. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(1), 313–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ammermüller, A. (2005). Educational opportunities and the role of institutions (ZEW Discussion Paper 05-44). Mannheim: Centre for European Economic Research.

  • Arulampalam, W., Bryan, M. L., & Booth, A. L. (2004a). Training in Europe. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2(2–3), 346–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arulampalam, W., Naylor, R. A., & Smith, J. P. (2004b). A hazard model of the probability of medical school drop-out in the UK. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, 167(1), 157–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, A., Burgess, S., Croxson, B., Gregg, P., Propper, C., Slater, H., & Wilson, D. (2004). Evaluating the impact of performance-related pay for teachers in England (CMPO Working Paper 04/113). Bristol: Centre for Market and Public Organisation.

  • Barnett, W. S. (1992). Benefits of compulsory preschool education. Journal of Human Resources, 27(2), 279–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barr, N. (2004). Higher education funding. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 20(2), 264–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassanini, A., Booth, A., Brunello, G., De Paola, M., & Leuven, E. (2005). Workplace training in Europe (IZA Discussion Paper 1640). Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor.

  • Bauer, P., & Riphahn, R. T. (2006). Timing of school tracking as a determinant of intergenerational transmission of education. Economics Letters, 91(1), 90–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1964/1993). Human capital: a theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education (3rd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belfield, C. R., Nores, M., Barnett, S., & Schweinhart, L. (2006). The high/scope Perry preschool program. Journal of Human Resources, 41(1), 162–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bénabou, R., Kramarz, F., & Prost, C. (2004). Zones d’éducation prioritaire: quels moyens pour quels résultats? Une évaluation sur la période 1982–1992. Économie et Statistique, 380, 3–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betts, J. R., & Loveless, T. (Eds.). (2005). Getting choice right: ensuring equity and efficiency in education policy. Washington: Brookings Institution Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Betts, J. R., & Roemer, J. E. (2007). Equalizing opportunity for racial and socioeconomic groups in the united states through educational-finance reform. In L. Wößmann & P. E. Peterson (Eds.), Schools and the equal opportunity problem (pp. 209–237). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, J. H. (1994). The impact of previous training on productivity and wages. In L. M. Lynch (Ed.), NBER comparative labor markets series: Training and the private sector: international comparisons (pp. 161–199). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, J. H. (1997). The effect of national standards and curriculum-based exams on achievement. American Economic Review, 87(2), 260–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, J. H. (2006). Drinking from the fountain of knowledge: student incentive to study and learn—externalities, information problems, and peer pressure. In E. A. Hanushek & F. Welch (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of education (Vol. 2, pp. 909–944). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishop, J. H., & Wößmann, L. (2004). Institutional effects in a simple model of educational production. Education Economics, 12(1), 17–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Björklund, A., Edin, P.-A., Freriksson, P., & Krueger, A. (2004). Education, equality and efficiency: an analysis of Swedish school reforms during the 1990s (IFAU Report 2004:1). Uppsala: Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation.

  • Blau, D., & Currie, J. (2006). Pre-school, day care, and after-school care: who’s minding the kids? In E. A. Hanushek & F. Welch (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of education (Vol. 2, pp. 1163–1278). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonesrønning, H., Falch, T., & Strøm, B. (2005). Teacher sorting, teacher quality, and student composition. European Economic Review, 49(2), 457–483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonnal, L., Mendes, S., & Sofer, C. (2002). School-to-work transition: apprenticeship versus vocational school in France. International Journal of Manpower, 23(5), 426–442.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradley, S., & Taylor, J. (2004). The economics of secondary schooling. In G. Johnes & J. Johnes (Eds.), International handbook on the economics of education. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Büchel, F. (2002). Successful apprenticeship-to-work transitions: on the long-term change in significance of the German school-leaving certificate. International Journal of Manpower, 23(5), 394–410.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, S., McConnell, B., Propper, C., & Wilson, D. (2007). The impact of school choice on sorting by ability and socioeconomic factors in English secondary education. In L. Wößmann & P. E. Peterson (Eds.), Schools and the equal opportunity problem (pp. 273–291). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cahuc, P., & Zylberberg, A. (2004). Labor economics. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calmfors, L., Corsetti, G., Honkapohja, S., Kay, J., Saint-Paul, G., Sinn, H.-W., Sturm, J.-E., & Vives, X. (2006). Report on the European economy 2006. Munich: EEAG European Economic Advisory Group at CESifo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Card, D. (1999). The causal effect of education on earnings. In O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (Eds.), Handbook of labor economics (Vol. 3A, pp. 1801–1863). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carneiro, P., & Heckman, J. J. (2003). Human capital policy. In J. J. Heckman & A. B. Krueger (Eds.), Inequality in America: what role for human capital policies? Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunha, F., Heckman, J. J., Lochner, L., & Masterov, D. V. (2006). Interpreting the evidence on life cycle skill formation. In E. A. Hanushek & F. Welch (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of education (Vol. 1, pp. 697–812). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Currie, J. (2001). Early childhood education programs. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 15(2), 213–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Currie, J., & Thomas, D. (2001). Early test scores, school quality and SES: longrun effects on wage and employment outcomes. Research in Labor Economics, 20, 103–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de la Fuente, A., & Doménech, R. (2006). Human capital in growth regressions: how much difference does data quality make? Journal of the European Economic Association, 4(1), 1–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dynarski, S. M. (2002). The behavioral and distributional implications of aid for college. American Economic Review, 92(2), 279–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dynarski, S. M. (2003). Does aid matter? Measuring the effect of student aid on college attendance and completion. American Economic Review, 93(1), 279–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eide, E., Goldhaber, D., & Brewer, D. (2004). The teacher labour market and teacher quality. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 20(2), 230–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • European Commission (2006). Time to move up a gear: the European commission’s 2006 annual progress report on growth and jobs. Brussels (europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/annual-report_en.htm).

  • European Council (2006). Presidency conclusions of the Brussels European Council (23/24 March 2006): the relaunched Lisbon strategy for jobs and growth. Brussels (europa.eu/European_council/conclusions/index_en.htm).

  • Euwals, R., & Winkelmann, R. (2004). Training intensity and first labor market outcomes of apprenticeship graduates. International Journal of Manpower, 25(5), 447–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, L. (2003). Inequality in the early cognitive development of British children in the 1970 cohort. Economica, 70(1), 73–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, L. (2004). Mobility in pupils’ cognitive attainment during school life. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 20(2), 213–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feinstein, L., Robertson, D., & Symons, J. (1999). Pre-school education and attainment in the national child development study and British cohort study. Education Economics, 7(3), 209–234.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filer, R. K., & Münich, D. (2003). Responses of private and public schools to voucher funding. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association in Washington, DC.

  • Fitzenberger, B., & Prey, H. (2000). Evaluating public sector sponsored training in East Germany. Oxford Economic Papers, 52(3), 497–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • Franz, W., & Soskice, D. (1995). The German apprenticeship system. In F. Buttler, W. Franz, R. Schettkat, & D. Soskice (Eds.), Institutional frameworks and labor market performance: comparative views on the US and German economies (pp. 208–234). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuchs, T., & Wößmann, L. (2004). Governance and primary-school performance: international evidence. Ifo Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, Mimeo.

  • Garces, E., Thomas, D., & Currie, J. (2002). Longer-term effects of head start. American Economic Review, 92(4), 999–1012.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, A., & Sianesi, B. (2005). Early education and children’s outcomes: how long do the impacts last? Fiscal Studies, 26(4), 513–548.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenaway, D., & Haynes, M. (2003). Funding higher education in the UK: the role of fees and loans. Economic Journal, 113(485), F150–F166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenaway, D., & Haynes, M. (2004). Funding higher education. In G. Johnes & J. Johnes (Eds.), International handbook on the economics of education. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, M. (2006). Education and nonmarket outcomes. In E. A. Hanushek & F. Welch (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of education (Vol. 1, pp. 577–633). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gundlach, E., Wößmann, L., & Gmelin, J. (2001). The decline of schooling productivity in OECD countries. Economic Journal, 111(471), C135–C147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E. A. (2003). The failure of input-based schooling policies. Economic Journal, 113(485), F64–F98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E. A. (2007). Some U.S. evidence on how the distribution of educational outcomes can be changed. In L. Wößmann & P. E. Peterson (Eds.), Schools and the equal opportunity problem (pp. 159–190). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E. A., & Raymond, M. E. (2004). The effect of school accountability systems on the level and distribution of student achievement. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2(2–3), 406–415.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E. A., & Wößmann, L. (2006). Does early tracking affect educational inequality and performance? Differences-in-differences evidence across countries. Economic Journal, 116(510), C63–C76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E. A., & Wößmann, L. (2007). The role of school improvement in economic development (NBER Working Paper 12832). Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Hanushek, E. A. with co-authors (1994). Making schools work: improving performance and controlling costs. Washington: Brookings Institution Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanushek, E. A., Kain, J. F., Rivkin, S. G., & Branch, G. F. (2007). Charter school quality and parental decision making with school choice. Journal of Public Economics, 91(5–6), 823–848.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harmon, C., Oosterbeek, H., & Walker, I. (2003). The returns to education: microeconomics. Journal of Economic Surveys, 17(2), 115–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, J. J. (2000). Policies to foster human capital. Research in Economics, 54(1), 3–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heckman, J. J., LaLonde, R., & Smith, J. A. (1999). The economics and econometrics of active labor market programs. In O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (Eds.), Handbook of labor economics (Vol. 3A, pp. 1865–2097). Amsterdam: North-Holland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoxby, C. M. (2000). Does competition among public schools benefit students and taxpayers? American Economic Review, 90(5), 1209–1238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoxby, C. M. (2002). Would school choice change the teaching profession? Journal of Human Resources, 37(4), 846–891.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoxby, C. M. (Ed.). (2003a). A national bureau of economic research conference report: The economics of school choice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoxby, C. M. (2003b). School choice and school competition: evidence from the United States. Swedish Economic Policy Review, 10(3), 9–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoxby, C. M., & Leigh, A. (2004). Pulled Away or pushed out? Explaining the decline of teacher aptitude in the United States. American Economic Review, 94(2), 236–240.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, B. A. (2005). Accountability, incentives and behavior: The impact of high-stakes testing in the Chicago public schools. Journal of Public Economics, 89(5–6), 761–796.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacob, B. A., & Levitt, S. D. (2003). Rotten apples: an investigation of the prevalence and predictors of teacher cheating. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(3), 843–877.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins, A., Vignoles, A., Wolf, A., & Galindo-Rueda, F. (2002). The determinants of effects of lifelong learning (CEE Discussion Paper 19). London: Centre for the Economics of Education, London School of Economics.

  • Jürges, H., Schneider, K., & Büchel, F. (2005). The effect of central exit examinations on student achievement: quasi-experimental evidence from TIMSS Germany. Journal of the European Economic Association, 3(5), 1134–1155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamerman, S. B., Neuman, M., Waldfogel, J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2003). Social policies, family types and child outcomes in selected OECD countries (OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Paper 6). Paris: OECD.

  • Kane, T. J. (1994). College entry by blacks since 1970: the role of college costs, family background, and the returns to education. Journal of Political Economy, 102(5), 878–911.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kane, T. J., & Staiger, D. O. (2002). The promise and pitfalls of using imprecise school accountability measures. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 16(4), 91–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kluve, J., & Schmidt, C. M. (2002). Can training and employment subsidies combat European unemployment? Economic Policy, 17(35), 410–448.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, A. B. (1999). Experimental estimates of education production functions. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 114(2), 497–532.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krueger, D., & Kumar, K. B. (2004). US–Europe differences in technology-driven growth: quantifying the role of education. Journal of Monetary Economics, 51(1), 161–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladd, H. F. (2002). School vouchers: a critical view. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 16(4), 3–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladd, H. F., & Walsh, R. P. (2002). Implementing value-added measures of school effectiveness: getting the incentives right. Economics of Education Review, 21(1), 1–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauer, C., & Steiner, V. (2000). Returns to education in West Germany: an empirical assessment (ZEW Discussion Paper 00-04). Mannheim: Centre for European Economic Research.

  • Lavy, V. (2002). Evaluating the effect of teachers’ group performance incentives on pupil achievement. Journal of Political Economy, 110(6), 1286–1317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavy, V. (2004). Performance pay and teachers’ effort, productivity and grading ethics (NBER Working Paper 10622). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Lazear, E. P. (2003a). Teacher incentives. Swedish Economic Policy Review, 10(3), 179–214.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazear, E. P. (2003b). Firm-specific human capital: a skill-weights approach (NBER Working Paper 9679). Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

  • Lechner, M. (2000). An evaluation of public-sector-sponsored continuous vocational training programs in East Germany. Journal of Human Resources, 35(2), 347–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lechner, M., Miguel, R., & Wunsch, C. (2004). Long-run effects of public sector sponsored training in West Germany (IZA Discussion Paper 1443). Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor.

  • Leney, T. with consortium partners (2004). Achieving the Lisbon goal: the contribution of VET. Final Report to the European Commission. Brussels: European Commission.

  • Leuven, E. (2005). The economics of private sector training: a survey of the literature. Journal of Economic Surveys, 19(1), 91–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leuven, E., & Oosterbeek, H. (2007). The effectiveness of human-capital policies for disadvantaged groups in the Netherlands. In L. Wößmann & P. E. Peterson (Eds.), Schools and the equal opportunity problem (pp. 191–208). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leuven, E., Lindahl, M., Oosterbeek, H., & Webbink, D. (2004). New evidence on the effect of time in school on early achievement (Scholar Working Paper 47/04). Amsterdam: Research Institute Scholar.

  • Levaĉić, R. (2004). Competition and the performance of English secondary schools: further evidence. Education Economics, 12(2), 177–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lochner, L., & Moretti, E. (2004). The effect of education on crime: evidence from prison inmates, arrests, and self-reports. American Economic Review, 94(1), 155–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowry, R. C. (2004). Markets, governance, and university priorities: evidence on undergraduate education and research. Economics of Governance, 5(1), 29–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, L. M. (1994). Introduction. In L. M. Lynch (Ed.), NBER comparative labor markets series: Training and the private sector: international comparisons (pp. 1–24). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Machin, S. J. (2004). Skill-biased technical change and educational outcomes. In G. Johnes & J. Johnes (Eds.), International handbook on the economics of education. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Machin, S. J. (2007). Education expansion and intergenerational mobility in Britain. In L. Wößmann & P. E. Peterson (Eds.), Schools and the equal opportunity problem (pp. 29–50). Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Machin, S. J., & Vignoles, A. (Eds.). (2005). What’s the good of education? The economics of education in the UK. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magnuson, K. A., Ruhm, C. J., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Does prekindergarten improve school preparation and performance? Economics of Education Review, 26(1), 33–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, J. P., & Grubb, D. (2001). What works and for whom: a review of OECD countries’ experience with active labour market policies. Swedish Economic Policy Review, 8(2), 9–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milligan, K., Moretti, E., & Oreopoulos, P. (2004). Does education improve citizenship? Evidence from the united states and the United Kingdom. Journal of Public Economics, 88(9), 1667–1695.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muehlemann, S., Schweri, J., Winkelmann, R., & Wolter, S. C. (2007). An empirical analysis of the decision to train apprentices. Labour, 21(3), 419–441.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neal, D. A. (1997). The effects of catholic secondary schooling on secondary achievement. Journal of Labor Economics, 15(1), 98–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nechyba, T. J. (2000). Mobility, targeting, and private-school vouchers. American Economic Review, 90(1), 130–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nickell, S. (2004). Poverty and worklessness in Britain. Economic Journal, 114(494), C1–C25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oosterbeek, H. (1998). Unravelling supply and demand factors in work-related training. Oxford Economic Papers, 50(2), 266–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2004). Early childhood education and care policy in the Federal Republic of Germany. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). (2005a) Education at a glance: OECD indicators 2005. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). (2005b). Teachers matter: attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, P. E., Howell, W. G., Wolf, P. J., & Campbell, D. E. (2003). School vouchers: results from randomized experiments. In C. M. Hoxby (Ed.), The economics of school choice (pp. 107–144). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Psacharopoulos, G. (1991). Vocational education theory, voced 101: including hints for ‘vocational planners’. International Journal of Educational Development, 11(3), 193–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Psacharopoulos, G. (1994). Returns to investment in education: a global update. World Development, 22(9), 1325–1343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Psacharopoulos, G. (2005). Why some university systems are collapsing: realities from Europe. Paper presented at the conference ‘The Future of the University’, Vienna.

  • Psacharopoulos, G., & Patrinos, H. A. (2004). Returns to investment in education: a further update. Education Economics, 12(2), 111–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rivkin, S. G., Hanushek, E. A., & Kain, J. F. (2005). Teachers, schools, and academic achievement. Econometrica, 73(2), 417–458.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roemer, J. E. (1998). Equality of opportunity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, P. (1998). Is apprenticeship better? A review of the economic evidence. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 50(2), 289–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, P. (2001). The school-to-work transition: a cross-national perspective. Journal of Economic Literature, 39(1), 34–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung (1998). Vor weitreichenden Entscheidungen—Jahresgutachten 1998/99 (German Council of Economic Experts, Annual Report 1998/99). Metzler-Poeschel: Stuttgart.

  • Sandström, F. M., & Bergström, F. (2005). School vouchers in practice: competition will not hurt you. Journal of Public Economics, 89(2–3), 351–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sapir, A., Aghion, P., Bertola, G., Hellwig, M., Pisani-Ferry, J., Rosati, D., Viñals, J., & Wallace, H. (2003). An agenda for a growing Europe: making the EU economic system deliver. Report of an Independent High-Level Study Group established on the initiative of the President of the European Commission, Brussels.

  • Schütz, G., Ursprung, H. W., & Wößmann, L. (2008). Education policy and equality of opportunity. Kyklos, in press.

  • Schweinhart, L. J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z., Barnett, W. S., Belfield, C. R., & Nores, M. (2005). Monographs of the high/scope educational research foundation : Vol. 14. Lifetime effects: the high/scope Perry preschool study through age 40. Ypsilanti: High/Scope Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J., & Naylor, R. (2001). Determinants of degree performance in UK universities: a statistical analysis of the 1993 student cohort. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 63(1), 29–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steedman, H. (1993). The economics of youth training in Germany. Economic Journal, 103(420), 1279–1291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandenbussche, J., Aghion, P., & Meghir, C. (2006). Growth, distance to frontier and composition of human capital. Journal of Economic Growth, 11(2), 97–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • West, M. R., & Peterson, P. E. (2006). The efficacy of choice threats within school accountability systems: results from legislatively-induced experiments. Economic Journal, 116(510), C46–C62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolter, S. C., Mühlemann, S., & Schweri, J. (2006). Why some firms train apprentices and many others do not. German Economic Review, 7(3), 249–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wößmann, L. (2002). Schooling and the quality of human capital. Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wößmann, L. (2003). Schooling resources, educational institutions and student performance: the international evidence. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 65(2), 117–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wößmann, L. (2004). Entwicklung betrieblicher Kosten und Nutzen der Berufsausbildung: Einige Anmerkungen zu den Ursachen des Ausbildungsplatzmangels. Ifo Schnelldienst, 57(6), 21–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wößmann, L. (2005a). Educational production in Europe. Economic Policy, 20(43), 445–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wößmann, L. (2005b). The effect heterogeneity of central exams: evidence from TIMSS, TIMSS-repeat and PISA. Education Economics, 13(2), 143–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wößmann, L. (2005c). Public-private partnerships in schooling: cross-country evidence on their effectiveness in providing cognitive skills. Program on education policy and governance (Research Paper PEPG 05-09). Cambridge: Harvard University.

  • Wößmann, L., & Peterson, P. E. (Eds.). (2007). Schools and the equal opportunity problem. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Munich, Ifo Institute for Economic Research and CESifo, Poschingerstr. 5, 81679, Munich, Germany

    Ludger Wößmann

Authors
  1. Ludger Wößmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ludger Wößmann.

Additional information

This paper is an adapted and revised version of the analytical report that accompanied the Communication and Staff Working Paper of the European Commission on “Efficiency and Equity in European Education and Training Systems” (ec.europa.eu/education/policies/2010/back_gen_en.html).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wößmann, L. Efficiency and equity of European education and training policies. Int Tax Public Finance 15, 199–230 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10797-008-9064-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10797-008-9064-1

Keywords

JEL

Search

Navigation