Education: The key to a good life?
Education expenditures in the US are substantially higher than in the EU, yet education outcomes in the US are at best mediocre. The illiteracy rate in the US, for example, far exceeds the European rate. Institutions, policies, rules and regulations can have a profound effect on the quality of life. Why do some countries adopt policies that seem counter-productive?
Gerhard Glomm, while visiting CES from October 28 to November 10, will be working on two projects related to education and human capital accumulation. In one project he examines teacher absenteeism in developing economies like India. Various policies such as improved monitoring of teachers, penalties for absenteeism, or higher teacher salaries have been proposed. The focus of this research is on the macroeconomic and distributional consequences of such policies.
In another project he is studying the political economy of education vouchers in particular, and means-tested subsidies in general. Uniform education vouchers have been placed on the ballot in several states in the US and soundly defeated. His model is consistent with these observations, and also predicts that means-tested vouchers will find sufficient political support among both the rich and the poor to garner a majority.
Mr. Glomm’s research focuses on long-run economic growth, the evolution of income inequality, fiscal policy and political economy. His research emphasises not only the economic impact of policy on economic outcomes, but also how the economic environment influences the choice of policies through political processes such as majority voting.
Mr. Glomm is on the faculty at Indiana University-Bloomington. Before coming to Indiana he held positions at Michigan State University and the University of Virginia. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota and his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas.