Higher education in Chile: The roles of migration, gender, peers, and institutions' quality

Valdebenito Ramirez, Rocio

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124395 Copy

Description

Title

Higher education in Chile: The roles of migration, gender, peers, and institutions' quality

Author(s)

Valdebenito Ramirez, Rocio

Issue Date

2024-04-25

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Arends-Kuenning, Mary Paula

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

• Arends-Kuenning, Mary Paula
• Herrera-Almanza, Catalina

Committee Member(s)

• Xu, Yilan
• Powers, Elizabeth

Department of Study

Agr & Consumer Economics

Discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Higher Education
• Chile
• Students
• Gender
• Migration
• Institutions Quality

Abstract

This dissertation comprises three chapters that explore the education market in Chile, focusing on various factors influencing student choices and outcomes. The first chapter analyzes how degree type and field of study affect migration and the distribution of human capital. The second investigates the impact of peer influence and gender on major choices in male-dominated fields. The third assesses how program accreditations influence applications and enrollments, shedding light on their role as quality signals. Collectively, these studies provide insights into the dynamics shaping educational paths. Below are the individual abstracts for each chapter. Chapter 1: Migration of high school graduates: How relevant are the degree type and field of study? This paper utilizes a unique dataset encompassing all Chilean students pursuing higher education from 2011 to 2017 to examine how geography, tertiary institution type, and field of study influence students' migration decisions. Our findings provide novel insights on the forces that shape the locational and programmatic decisions of students in higher education, and thus, the inter-regional distribution of human capital. Employing a gravity model approach, the findings emphasize that variations in migration patterns are influenced by factors such as the type of institution, field of study, and the regions of origin and destination for students. The estimates reveal disparities in how Vocational degrees attract students from their own regions and neighboring areas compared to universities offering Bachelor's Degrees. Furthermore, the analysis of different fields of study suggests that Education, Health, and Technology and Engineering tend to attract students from their local communities, although the degree of heterogeneity across fields is less pronounced. The results also indicate an inter-regional polarization in educational resources, with the capital region attracting a disproportionately higher number of students from other regions. Chapter 2: Peer Influence and College Major Choices in Male-Dominated Fields This paper investigates the causal impact of high school peers' choices on individuals' college major choices, while also exploring whether the gender of both individuals and their peers plays a mediating role in these effects. Utilizing Chilean data spanning from 2006 to 2019, this study addresses key challenges in the peer effects literature and proposes two distinct approaches. The first approach explores idiosyncratic within-school variations in the proportion of classmates enrolled in male-dominated post-secondary programs. The second approach employs a regression discontinuity design, taking advantage of the unpredictable admission cutoffs within the centralized admission system for Chilean universities. The primary findings indicate that both classroom peers and older high school peers significantly shape students' choices of college majors in male-dominated fields. Furthermore, the results suggest the greater influence of female peers enrolled in male-dominated areas compared to male peers, particularly in influencing female applicants towards similar majors. Chapter 3: Quality Signals of College Majors Many countries have implemented quality certification systems for higher education programs, yet evidence regarding their impact on program applications and enrollment remains limited. We constructed a panel dataset of programs from the Chilean higher education system, spanning from 2007 to 2020, and implemented an event-study approach to examine the dynamic impact of a program's first accreditation on outcomes such as applications received, enrollment, dropout, and transfer rates following the accreditation. Our findings show that after receiving accreditation for the first time, programs receive approximately 4% more applications, predominantly from students from high-income families and those whose parents have a college education. We also estimate a similar increase in first-year enrollment, yet we do not observe an expansion of capacity. These results highlight that accreditation is a valuable signal for students, which informs the ongoing public debate in a Chilean educational system where the validity of program accreditation has been frequently questioned.

Graduation Semester

2024-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2024 Rocio Valdebenito Ramirez

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