Special Topics in Economic and Public Policy in Education
Instructor : Michael Chletsos
The purpose of this course is to provide an in-depth exploration of economic and public policy issues in the field of education. It serves as a continuation and deepening of the topics introduced in the course Economics of Education. This course focuses on how both economic and public policies are applied in the education sector as a whole, with special emphasis on higher education. It examines topics such as the determination of wages, employment levels, and teacher qualifications, highlighting significant and distinctive aspects of the education labor market. It also analyzes issues related to spending in higher education, the impacts of that spending, student financial participation, and policies regarding the funding of students’ education. As part of the lecture on the economics of student life, the course explores how students choose universities, how students are matched with institutions, how they select courses, and the factors affecting university completion rates. Subsequent lectures address the impact of education on public health, the relationship between education and democracy, and how education influences individuals' decisions regarding criminal behavior. Finally, the course introduces the fundamental concepts of behavioral economics and applies them to the field of education, highlighting the important role of psychological and non-rational factors—in addition to rationality and self-interest maximization—in educational decision-making.
Thematic units covered in this course include:
- Teacher labor markets (primary, secondary, and higher education)
- Participation in higher education, student funding policies, and public policy
- Public spending on higher education and related public policy
- Market analysis issues in higher education
- The economics of student life: admissions, peer effects, and graduation
- Education and health
- Education, democracy, and participation in institutions
- Education and crime
- Behavioral economics in education
- Presentation of student projects