UNEQUAL EDucation: The Role of Educational Constraints in Shaping Inequalities

Introduction

Project UNEQUALED aims to study educational constraints faced by individuals at a stage when they are planning their future investments in human capital. Despite its importance, understanding the determinants of educational choices has been a longstanding challenge for two important reasons.

Challenges in Understanding Educational Choices

First, it requires broad, representative data. Secondly, because the environment in which individuals’ educational plans are formed and adjusted is typically endogenous to their characteristics. I will tackle these issues using large interventions on nationally representative samples of individuals.

Specific Questions Addressed

Different parts of project UNEQUALED target specific questions that will help construct an overall picture. The project will seek to understand and quantify the role of the different barriers in leading to unequal learning and opportunities and the effects of easing the constraints. Specifically, the project will ask:

1. Can the easing of technological constraints reduce learning inequality?
2. What role does ICT access and training play for distance learning?
3. Does differential social exposure within the classroom impact student outcomes?
4. Can role models help an individual reach their goal?
5. How important are psychological (or socio-emotional) barriers for achievement?

Methodology

I will address each part using detailed micro longitudinal data, but at a macro level (large scale, nationally representative samples). I plan to combine economic concepts with field interventions, experiments, and rich econometric and computer science tools to analyze big datasets and to causally estimate the impact of the components that drive the adjustment in educational plans, and ultimately, how these factors influence later educational outcomes.

Impact Assessment

All projects will aim to capture the short and long-run impacts. To carry off this ambitious research project, I will work with a large and interdisciplinary network of researchers specializing in economics, statistics, computer science, management science, and public policy.