The effect of schooling vouchers on higher education enrollment

Time: 2011, Tuesday June 7, 13.00-14.00 hours
Location: CPB-office, Van Stolkweg 14, The Hague

Presentation: Marc van der Steeg (CPB)

Discussant: Monique de Haan (UvA & TIER)

Language: English

Registration:  Please register by sending an email to seminars@cpb.nl.

Abstract subject: A schooling voucher scheme for teachers was introduced in the Netherlands in 2008. Teachers may apply for a schooling voucher which can be used for acquiring a higher or another teacher qualification, or acquiring specific skills. This study investigates the additionality of this scheme with respect to higher education enrolment. In order to address potential selectivity issues, we use an instrumental variable approach in which the probability of receiving a schooling voucher is instrumented by the date of application. We exploit the situation in which there were more applicants than vouchers available. This resulted in a clear cut-off date one month after submission started after which the probability of receiving a voucher dropped to zero. We take into account later submissions for schooling vouchers in 2009 among teachers that did not receive a voucher in the first round. In addition we control for various teacher characteristics and characteristics of the application such as study length.

The central conclusion is that the additionality of the voucher scheme is limited. Out of every ten vouchers, one is used for schooling that would not have taken place without such a voucher, one voucher is not used, and eight are used for higher education enrolment which would have taken place anyhow. Teacher vouchers appear to substitute for both own contributions and contributions by the school out of regular schooling budgets. Additionality increases with study length. The additionality could be doubled by limiting the supply of vouchers to requests for studies with a duration of more than one year.

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