Where they go, what they do and why it matters: the importance of geographic accessibility and social class for decisions relating to higher education institution type, degree level and field of study

Abstract

This article considers the impact of geographic accessibility and social class on school leavers when making decisions relating to higher education institution (HEI) type, degree level and field of study. Using a novel and comprehensive Irish data set, we consider a number of joint decisions facing school leavers in relation to where and what to study and employ a range of bivariate choice models which allows us to control for correlations in these decisions. We find that geographic accessibility and social class play an important role in determining outcomes relating to HEI type, degree level and field of study. We argue that these decisions are important in terms of future labour market and other outcomes for school leavers and that current policy in Ireland does not go far enough in mitigating the impact of distance and socio-economic barriers on these outcomes.

What drives innovation in the agricultural sector? A spatial analysis of knowledge spillovers

“…For example, a number of studies have examined geographic inequalities in higher education accessibility in Ireland and found that potential students who live further away from a higher education institution (HEI) generally fare worse on a range of outcomes. In particular, Cullinan et al (2013a,b) found that travel distance has a significantly negative impact on higher education participation for school leavers from lower social class backgrounds, while Flannery and Cullinan (2014) found that travel distance also impacts on where students choose to study, what they study and at what level they do so. Thus, in this article geographic accessibility to agricultural education in Ireland is considered for the first time and it is argued that close proximity to education will positively affect agricultural innovation.…”

Geographic accessibility to higher education on the island of Ireland

“…For this reason, we use travel distance to the nearest HEI as our measure of geographic accessibility. This networkbased method has been applied in a number of other studies, both in Ireland and internationally (Apparicio, Cloutier, and Shearmur 2007;Witten, Exeter, and Field 2003;Cullinan et al 2013;Flannery and Cullinan 2014;Cullinan, Hynes, and O' Donoghue 2011;Cullinan 2011).…”

“…As an extension to this analysis, Flannery and Cullinan (2014) considered the impact of geographic accessibility and social class on decisions relating to the type of HEI, degree level and field of study chosen by school leavers. They found that geographic accessibility and social class play an important role in these choices.…”

“…Also, Kelly, O' Connell, and Smyth (2010) showed that for Ireland, controlling for level of degree and subject choice, the type of institution attended (university or not) can have significant future earnings implications. Flannery and Cullinan (2014) analysed the role that spatial factors may play in determining the type of HEI attended in the Republic of Ireland using advanced econometric techniques. While their study provided some insight into the role that geographic accessibility plays at an overall level, a more detailed (regional or county level) analysis of this influence was not investigated.…”

Where do regional influences matter? The impact of socio-spatial indicators on transitions from secondary school to university

“…They even distinguish between types of institutions. Results indicate that geographical proximity increases the chances of entering education at a university or college (Sa et al 2004;Flannery and Cullinan 2014).…”