Subject. I address the impact of higher education expansion in Russia on the income level of economic agents interacting with university graduates of different majors. Objectives. The aim is to test the hypothesis about the existence of externalities of the expansion of higher education in Russian conditions that are characterized by the diminishing return on the increase in the share of economically active population with higher education and the differentiation of the impact of increase in the number of graduates with different educational majors. Methods. To evaluate the external effects of the expansion of higher education in Russia, I performed a regression analysis of the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey data. Results. I revealed a positive external effect of the expansion of higher education in Russia. It decreases as enrollment in higher education increases. In Russia, specialists in the field of law and public administration benefit from the expansion of higher education. The increase in the share of graduates with higher technical education does not produce significant positive external effects due to the structure of the Russian economy and its economic development model, which has a limited demand for competences providing innovative development of industry. Conclusions. Despite the decline in external effects of investment in higher education, the decision to obtain it remains quite rational, as the private return on higher education remains quite high. Improving the external effects of training specialists in technical and natural sciences requires improving the training programs of Russian technical universities and institutional changes.
Keywords: investment in human capital, return on education, external effects, expansion of higher education, higher education bubble
References:
Dedov S.V., Shishkin A.F., Gordienko N.S. [Theoretical and methodological approaches to the assessment of human capital]. Finansy i kredit =Finance and Credit, 2008, no. 22, pp. 64–69. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Kleshcheva Yu.S. [Quality of working life and innovative activity of human capital in the context of globalization]. Natsional'nye interesy: prioritety i bezopasnost' = National Interests: Priorities and Security, 2014, no. 4, pp. 56–62. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Kuznetsov Yu.A. [Human capital, productivity, and economic growth. Part II]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika = Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2012, no. 44, pp. 2–14. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Lucas R.E. Jr. On the Mechanics of Economic Development. Journal of Monetary Economics, 1988, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 3–42. URL: Link
Kuznetsov Yu.A. [Human capital, productivity, and economic growth. Part I]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika = Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2012, no. 43, pp. 2–17. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Inozemtseva L.N., Klikunov N.D. [Return on investments in higher education: The research agenda]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika = Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2003, no. 7, pp. 19–22. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Jovanovic B., Rob R. The Growth and Diffusion of Knowledge. The Review of Economic Studies, 1989, vol. 56, iss. 4, pp. 569–582. URL: Link
Acemoglu D. A Microfoundation for Social Increasing Returns in Human Capital Accumulation. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1996, vol. 111, iss. 3, pp. 779–804. URL: Link
Manning A. We Can Work It Out: The Impact of Technological Change on the Demand for Low–Skill Workers. Scottish Journal of Political Economy, 2004, vol. 51, iss. 5, pp. 581–608. URL: Link
Mazzolari F., Ragusa G. Spillovers from High-Skill Consumption to Low-Skill Labor Markets. Review of Economics and Statistics, 2013, vol. 95, iss. 1, pp. 74–86. URL: Link
Nedospasova O.P., Barysheva A.G., Kaida A.Yu. [Social externalities of educational investments: Experience of OECD member countries]. Natsional'nye interesy: prioritety i bezopasnost' = National Interests: Priorities and Security, 2019, vol. 15, iss. 4, pp. 629–647. (In Russ.) URL: Link
Razumova T.O. [Influence of higher education on income of employee]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika = Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2009, no. 13, pp. 29–37. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Gimpel'son V.E. [Does the Russian economy need human capital? Ten doubt]. Voprosy Ekonomiki, 2016, no. 10, pp. 129–143. (In Russ.) URL: Link
Katz L., Murphy K. Changes in Relative Wages, 1963–1987: Supply and Demand Factors. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1992, vol. 107, iss. 1, pp. 35–78. URL: Link
Spence M. Job Market Signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1973, vol. 87, iss. 3, pp. 355–374. URL: Link
Grechko M.V. ["Education failures" as development barrier of domestic education system in conditions of innovative breakthrough]. Natsional'nye interesy: prioritety i bezopasnost' = National Interests: Priorities and Security, 2014, no. 17, pp. 12–20. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Grechko M.V. [Human capital as factor of intensive development of domestic economy in condition of global changes]. Natsional'nye interesy: prioritety i bezopasnost' = National Interests: Priorities and Security, 2013, no. 27, pp. 10–20. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Savzikhanova S.E. [Problems and prospects of improvement of quality of educational services in higher education sphere]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika = Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2011, no. 10, pp. 39–43. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Balatskii E.V. [Syndrome of Reforms' Arrhythmia in the Higher Education]. Zhurnal Novoi ekonomicheskoi assotsiatsii = Journal of the New Economic Association, 2014, no. 4, pp. 111–140. URL: Link (In Russ.)
Verzhbitskii V.V. [Global Personnel Imbalances and Educational Bubbles]. Ekonomika obrazovaniya = Economics of Education,2016, no. 3, pp. 23–43. (In Russ.)
Natkhov T.V., Polishchuk L.I. [Engineers or Lawyers? Institutions and Demand for Higher Education]. Voprosy Ekonomiki, 2012, no. 10, pp. 30–51. (In Russ.) URL: Link
Mincer J. Schooling, Experience and Earnings. N.Y., Columbia University Press for the National Bureau of Economic Research, 1974, 167 p.
Rauch E.I. Productivity Gains From Geographic Concentration of Human Capital: Evidence from the Cities. Journal of Urban Economics, 1993, vol. 34, iss. 3, pp. 380–400. URL: Link
Acemoglu D., Angrist J. How Large are Human-Capital Externalities? Evidence from Compulsory-Schooling Laws. NBER Macroeconomics Annual, 2000, vol. 15, pp. 9–59. URL: Link
Moretti E. Estimating the Social Return to Higher Education: Evidence from Longitudinal and Repeated Cross-Sectional Data. Journal of Econometrics, 2004, vol. 121, iss. 1-2, pp. 175–212. URL: Link
Muravyev A. Human Capital Externalities: Evidence from the Transition Economy of Russia. Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, 2008, vol. 16, iss. 3, pp. 415–443. URL: Link
Yunling Liang, Zhiqiang Liu, Haizheng Li. Identifying Human Capital Externality: Evidence from China. Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 2016, vol. 1, iss. 1, pp. 75–93. URL: Link
Sand B.M. A Re-Examination of the Social Returns to Education: Evidence from U.S. Cities. Labour Economics, 2013, vol. 24, pp. 97–106. URL: Link
Winters J.V. STEM Graduates, Human Capital Externalities, and Wages in the U.S. Regional Science and Urban Economics, 2014, vol. 48, pp. 190–198. URL: Link
Heckman J.J. Sample Selection Bias as a Specification Error. Econometrica, 1979, vol. 47, iss. 1, pp. 153–161. URL: Link
Sobolev L.B. [Problems of engineering education in Russia]. Ekonomicheskii analiz: teoriya i praktika = Economic Analysis: Theory and Practice, 2018, vol. 17, iss. 7, pp. 1252–1267. (In Russ.) URL: Link
Winters J.V. Human Capital Externalities and Employment Differences Across Metropolitan Areas of the USA. Journal of Economic Geography, 2013, vol. 13, iss. 5, pp. 799–782. URL: Link
Skoblyakova I.V. [Investments in human capital and the effects of education]. Finansy i kredit = Finance and Credit, 2006, no. 23, pp. 76–79. URL: Link (In Russ.)