It is a time of great change for post-16 education in the UK. The school leaving age is due to be raised to 17 by 2013 and to 18 by 2015. At the same time, the government has scrapped the education maintenance allowance, which provided funding for pupils at ages 16 and 17. And higher tuition fees are likely to be introduced by most universities from 2012. These changes make it more important than ever – for individuals and for policy-makers – to have a clear view of the economic benefits of education.
This issue of Research in Public Policy features articles from a recent CMPO conference on the returns to secondary and higher education in terms of both employment prospects and earnings, together with some of the broader consequences of education for outcomes such as childbearing.
Public services are firmly in the policy spotlight as the coalition government seeks to introduce reforms in a time of fiscal belt-tightening. Paul Gregg assesses government proposals for the introduction of a ‘universal credit’, aimed at replacing a range of welfare benefits and tax credits. Carol Propper discusses research on hospital competition,which finds that increased choice and competition under fixed prices can lead to better outcomes for patients. And Jane Waldfogel looks back at the performance of the Labour government in delivering on its commitment to reducing child poverty.
And finally, new research from CMPO explores the issue of whether house prices – the obsession of newspapers and middle class dinner parties – really do have any effect on our happiness and wellbeing.
Helen Simpson and Sarah Smith
Research in Public Policy Winter 2010
(download the pdf of the bulletin, 1.4 mB)
Anita Ratcliffe, CMPO
(pdf 28.6 KB)
Paul Gregg, CMPO
(pdf, 26.9 kB)
Ian Walker, Lancaster University
(pdf 24.6 kB)
