Details
- Publication date
- 20 September 2011
- Authors
- Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture | European Expert Network on Economics of Education (EENEE)
- Geographical scope
- European Union
- Level of education focus
- Adult education
- Higher education
- School education
- Thematic areas covered
- Education-to-work transitions, education and labour market
- Educational attainment and participation in education
- Educational effectiveness and efficiency
- Governance of education
- Investment in education, economic impact of education
- Lifelong learning
- Monitoring and quality assurance
- Quality and inclusive education for all
- Skills development
- Whole-school and whole-system approaches and partnerships in education
Description
The report provides an empirical overview of education funding mechanisms in Europe, covering primary, secondary, higher, and adult education. It compares centralized and decentralized funding models, highlighting their trade-offs between equity and efficiency.
In higher education, it examines student responses to tuition fees and aid, finding behavior consistent with rational investment models.
For adult learning, the study evaluates instruments such as vouchers, individual learning accounts, and tax deductions, identifying income tax deductions as the most effective. The evidence suggests that availability alone does not incentivize low-skilled adults to train. Many instruments show high deadweight losses, with subsidized training often replacing privately funded training.
The report calls for evidence-based policy using credible impact evaluation designs.
Authors
Torberg Falch & Hessel Oosterbeek
Cite as
Falch, T., Oosterbeek, H. (2011), Financing lifelong learning: Funding mechanisms in education and training, EENEE report.
