Working Paper: NBER ID: w31906
Authors: Noem Katzkowicz; Victor Lavy; Martina Querejeta; Tatiana Ros
Abstract: Poor post-secondary education infrastructure and opportunities partly explain the low higher education rates in developing countries. This paper estimates the effect of a program that improved post-secondary education infrastructure by building many university campuses across Uruguay. Leveraging temporal and geographic variation in program implementation, we use a two-way fixed effect design and comprehensive administrative records to assess the program’s causal impact. By lowering the distance to a university campus, the program successfully increased university enrollment, particularly of less privileged students who are the first in their families to attend a university. The program impacted students from localities up to 30 kilometers from the new campus, reducing spatial inequality. Importantly, this expansion did not lower university completion rates. Furthermore, the program increased high school attendance and completion rates and the proportion of educated workers in the affected localities.
Keywords: higher education; intergenerational mobility; university enrollment; educational infrastructure; Uruguay
JEL Codes: D63; I23; I28; J16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Opening of a new university campus (I23) | Increase in the share of enrolled students among the population under 30 (I23) |
| Opening of a new university campus (I23) | Increase in the share of first-generation students in total enrollment (I23) |
| Opening of a new university campus (I23) | Increase in high school attendance and completion rates (I21) |
| Opening of a new university campus (I23) | Higher proportion of educated workers in affected localities (J69) |
| Opening of a new university campus (I23) | Short-term decline in wages for educated workers in treated areas (J39) |
| Reduced distance to university campuses (R49) | Increase in enrollment and educational attainment (I24) |