Under this theme, we aim to expand the base of empirical research on topics related to the financing of education and student financial aid policies. Changes in funding policy can improve access to educational opportunities and increase student academic success. This could translate into improved labour market outcomes and therefore contribute towards breaking the cycle of inequality perpetuated by unequal access to skills.
Current and past project involvement under this theme include:
Education and labour market dynamics in a period of rapid education expansion: Building evidence from existing Ghanaian survey data sources
The Ghanaian government rolled out free compulsory primary education in 1996 and free senior high school provision in 2017. With the first cohorts exposed to the free education policies now reaching prime adulthood, our project aims to take stock of how educational attainment has changed over time, and to examine the gendered consequences of these education changes for labour market dynamics and intergenerational socioeconomic mobility. This project is funded by G2LM|LIC. Read more about this project here.
Measuring the impact of the new higher education and training funding policy
This project aims to evaluate South Africa’s new post-school funding policy, which was introduced in 2018. This research has received funding from the Kresge Foundation and from the Centre for Higher Education. Read more about the CHE-funded project here. Read more about our work that was funded by Kresge here.
Estimating the cost of producing undergraduate-level graduates at South African universities
This research aimed to estimate the cost of producing undergraduate-level graduates. The link between aggregate costs and tuition fees was unclear due to the complexity of universities and the various services they provide. Specific costs associated with teaching and training at the undergraduate level were unknown as there had been no costing exercise in South Africa in recent decades. Read more here.