Abstract
For both scholars and policymakers, it is easy to be parochial in our analyses of policy problems. But global challenges, including rising populism, racial and ethnic inequality, and public health crises like COVID-19, remind us of the need for global perspectives. This project will illuminate the role that educational attainment plays in reducing or exacerbating inequality in Spain and the U.S.–two countries with strong autonomous regions that have faced substantial upheavals in the past fifteen years. The study leverages international and regional economic differences over time to understand who benefits from vocational and university educational attainment in heterogeneous contexts. Using large, representative datasets on the workforce entry of young adults in Spain and the United States, I first examine how the relationship between family background and educational attainment differs between the countries over time. Using propensity scores to adjust for selection into education levels, and controlling for a broad set of region-by-year economic conditions, I then examine the relationship of educational attainment to employment, earnings, and job satisfaction. Next, I examine heterogeneity in the estimated returns to educational attainment for those from more- and less-advantaged backgrounds. Results illuminate how patterns of socioeconomic mobility differ between these two federated nations, which offer distinctive approaches to postsecondary career preparation. In this way, the study will help inform our understanding of the tradeoffs between emphasizing university preparation and vocational pathways in diverse and dynamic 21st century economies.
Presenters
Jennifer SteeleAssociate Professor, School of Education, American University, District of Columbia, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Adult, Community, and Professional Learning
KEYWORDS
Educational Equity, Comparative Education, Career Preparation, Higher Education
