Applied Micro Seminar : Every Tuesday
Time: 12:15 pm – 13:30 pm
Date: April, 7th
Room : 3001

Anaïs FABRE  “The Geography of Higher Education and Spatial Inequalities”

Abstract : 

This paper studies how the geography of the higher education market shapes spatial inequalities. Using data on the universe of college applicants and programs in France, I document that higher education options are unevenly distributed across space while students’ demand is highly sensitive to geographic proximity. To quantify how these features shape regional gaps in educational attainment and spatial skill sorting, I build a dynamic model linking equilibrium sorting on the higher education market and location choices of entry-level workers. I show that students’ and programs’ preferences can be identified and estimated from data on choices and equilibrium outcomes. Thirteen percent of the regional variance in educational attainment is explained by the interaction of the uneven distribution of colleges and mobility frictions. The latter, however, insulate low-opportunity areas from an outflow of workers in the long-run, mitigating regional inequality. I show that low-opportunity areas could invest in the education of their local labor force while limiting out-migration by combining mobility scholarships with incentives to return.

Organizers:
Benoît SCHMUTZ (Pôle économie du CREST)
Clément MALGOUYRES (Pôle économie du CREST)

Sponsors:
CREST