Arbeitspapier
The political economy of higher education finance: How information and design affect public preferences for tuition
Public preferences for charging tuition are important for determining higher education finance. To test whether public support for tuition depends on information and design, we devise several survey experiments in representative samples of the German electorate (N>19,500). The electorate is divided, with a slight plurality opposing tuition. Providing information on the university earnings premium raises support for tuition by 7 percentage points, turning the plurality in favor. The opposition-reducing effect persists two weeks after treatment. Information on fiscal costs and unequal access does not affect public preferences. Designing tuition as deferred income-contingent payments raises support by 16 percentage points, creating a strong majority favoring tuition. The same effect emerges when framed as loan payments. Support decreases with higher tuition levels and increases when targeted at non-EU students.
- Language
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Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
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Series: Discussion Paper ; No. 145
- Classification
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Wirtschaft
Educational Finance; Financial Aid
National Government Expenditures and Education
Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
- Subject
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tuition
higher education
political economy
survey experiments
information
earnings premium
income-contingent loans
voting
- Event
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Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
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Lergetporer, Philipp
Woessmann, Ludger
- Event
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Veröffentlichung
- (who)
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Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190 - Rationality and Competition
- (where)
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München und Berlin
- (when)
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2019
- Handle
- Last update
-
10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET
Data provider
This object is provided by:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Arbeitspapier
Associated
- Lergetporer, Philipp
- Woessmann, Ludger
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München und Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Collaborative Research Center Transregio 190 - Rationality and Competition
Time of origin
- 2019
Other Objects (12)
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Earnings Information and Public Preferences for University Tuition: Evidence from Representative Experiments
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Do party positions affect the public's policy preferences?
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Educational Inequality and Public Policy Preferences: Evidence from Representative Survey Experiments
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The political economy of higher education finance: how information and design affect public preferences for tuition
The Political Economy of Higher Education Finance: How Information and Design Affect Public Preferences for Tuition
Earnings Information and Public Preferences for University Tuition: Evidence from Representative Experiments
Earnings information and public preferences for university tuition: Evidence from representative experiments
Earnings Information and Public Preferences for University Tuition: Evidence from Representative Experiments
Income Contingency and the Electorate's Support for Tuition
Income contingency and the electorate's support for tuition
Income Contingency and the Electorate's Support for Tuition
Do party positions affect the public's policy preferences?
Do Party Positions Affect the Public's Policy Preferences?
Educational Inequality and Public Policy Preferences: Evidence from Representative Survey Experiments
Educational Inequality and Public Policy Preferences: Evidence From Representative Survey Experiments