The benefits of a good education are numerous; it not only offers knowledge and power to individuals, but also enables them to lead the life they wish to; and to benefit both their own family and country. Education has a positive impact on the development of a country. An educated society can eradicate poverty, illiteracy and unemployment, and help in the improvement of the health care standards, the political structures, and the national productivity. The contribution of education in this development process is evident and easily recognized. Many studies show that investments in education generate benefits for people (private benefits) and society (social benefits), similar to those of the physical capital investments. Due to the important role that education plays in the development of human capital, in order to conduct the process of development in developing countries, to achieve their growth aims, significant attention should be placed on studying human capital investment accumulation through the means of the rate of return on education (RORE). So far, numerous economists and researchers have attempted to estimate the RORE for the purpose of observing the efficiency of educational spending and resource allocation (see Psacharopoulos, 1973, 1980, 1985, 1994, 2002, and 2004), in order to be able to analyse the output of the educational process on the economy. The estimation of the rate of return on education (RORE) can help in describing different phenomena, such as the following: employees of the public sector benefiting greatly from higher earnings as compared to the employees of the private sector working in the same capacity; the observed difference in the attendance between males and females to complete their education; the large demand for 'easy-discipline', 'aversion‘ (sub) specialties and the high rate of dropouts from school by males. The research problem of this thesis is that there has been a lack of information regarding estimating the RORE in high income petroleum-based developing countries, such as Kuwait, as most of the existing research has not accurately differentiated between low and high income developing nations. The aim of this research is to clarify the influencing variables and factors affecting the investment on education and their relationships by identifying these factors. This study endeavours to develop a framework based on the RORE model and to verify it by estimating the rate of return in high-income petroleum based economies in developing countries, and in this context, data is acquired from Kuwait to verify it, as a case study. The results of the employed regression model show positive and economically significant parameters for return on education and a negative return for extra years of experience. The estimated rate of return for females is relatively higher than males. The average estimated rate of return to education is 5.2%; with the estimated return for females being 6.7%; and for males 5.5%. On the other hand, by expanding the model to include the 'level of education‘ terms, the results show the highest return for primary education and lowest for intermediate and diploma education. Results indicate also that the highest rates of return on education for females occur in high school, whereas for males in bachelor-level higher education.

This dissertation provides evidence of the return to education in Iran as well as measurement of inequality of opportunity and the Human Opportunity Index using cross-section data of Trends in Mathematics and Science Studies and Harmonized Household Income and Expenditure Surveys of several Middle Eastern Countries. The first chapter studies the return to education and the effect of school availability on education attainment in Iran. The Census 2006 allows us to get closer to the district of schooling by focusing on non-migrants. We estimate the return to education and the effect of school availability both for migrant and non-migrant sub-samples. We employ school availability as an instrument to correct the ability bias. We find availability of school increases women's education attainment more than men's and it is higher among the non-migrant sample. Using instrumental variable, the return to education is 6.50% in 2012 suggesting an upward bias in OLS. The second chapter provides estimates of Human Opportunity Index (HOI) in the Middle East and North Africa. Our estimates show the HOI improve over time in MENA region and compare favorably with similar measures computed for other regions, notably Latin America. Using Shapley decomposition, we find that parental background and place of living are the most important circumstances explaining inequality of opportunity to access in basic opportunities. Understanding the change in HOI and factors that influence it most complement existing analyses of inequality of opportunity in education, earning, and consumption for MENA countries because they focus on aspects of inequality of opportunity that are largely provided by the state. The third chapter provides estimates of inequality of educational opportunity using TIMSS dataset. We estimate the index of IOP using the ex-ante approach both for the fourth and eighth grade. The computed index of IOP shows that there is an improvement in IOP both for mathematics and science from grade four to eight. The investigations about relevant inputs suggest that there is a negative relationship between educational expenditure and the level of IOP. The relationship between the index of IOP and average economic growth as well as GDP per capita is positive. / Ph. D. / This dissertation provides evidence of the return to education in Iran as well as measurement of inequality of opportunity and the Human Opportunity Index using cross-section data of Trends in Mathematics and Science Studies and Harmonized Household Income and Expenditure Surveys of several Middle Eastern Countries. The first chapter studies the return to education and the effect of school availability on education attainment in Iran. The results show school availability has a positive and significant effect on women education attainment. We also estimate the rates of return to education for men between 25-60 years old in Iran in 2006 and 2012. Our findings show that the returns to schooling decline in Iran between 2006 and 2012. The second chapter provides estimates of Human Opportunity Index (HOI) in the Middle East and North Africa. Our estimates show the HOI improve over time in MENA region and compare favorably with similar measures computed for other regions, notably Latin America. The HOI evaluates the basic opportunities which mostly publicly provided. This makes the HOI relevant for understanding the effectiveness of MENA governments in providing children with an equal chance to succeed. Our findings show the HOI improves over time in MENA. The improvement over time is not surprising because as a service expands, especially if it starts inequitably, it generally covers more of the less advantaged households. The third chapter provides estimates of inequality of educational opportunity (IOP) using TIMSS dataset. We estimate the index of IOP using variance decomposition method. Our estimates show that in most countries of our sample the index of IOP increases from fourth grade to eighth grade suggesting the circumstances out of the control of an individual play important role in higher level of education. We investigate the correlational relationship between the index of IOP and some economic characteristics. Our findings suggest that there is a negative relationship between educational expenditure and the level of IOP. The relationship between the index of IOP and average economic growth as well as GDP per capita is positive.

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the level of tertiary education has a positive and significant impact on the level of income received. This study will focus on determining whether each subsequent level of tertiary education causes an increase in the likelihood of earning a higher wage, by using a multinomial logistic regression model as well as cross-tabulation estimates. This study will also make use of two different data samples, where the first sample is sourced from the National Income Dynamics Study's, 2010-2011, adult wave 2 dataset, and the second sample is sourced from a questionnaire distributed to the North-West University's School of Economics alumni from the Potchefstroom campus. Literature indicates that there is a significant relationship between an individual's income and variables such as gender, age, marital status, population group, occupation, sector or industry, years of work experience, location of employment, tenure, union membership, and, most importantly, education. Determining the effect of these variables on the income of tertiary educated individuals, will assist current and future graduates by providing relevant South African labour market information as well as providing some assistance in decisions which may result in higher future earnings. From the NIDS data set, it was found that the level of tertiary education was significantly associated with income, and that higher levels of tertiary education were associated with higher income categories, while lower levels of tertiary education were associated with lower income categories. From the Alumni data set it was concluded that the level of tertiary education was not significantly associated with income, which could be the result of the graduation period (2009-2012) of the sample individuals. It was also found that married individuals were more likely to have earnings within the higher income categories, while the same result was obtained for males as well as for those individuals who were employed in the Gauteng province. It was also found that those individuals with an honours degree had earnings within the low income categories, similar to those individuals with a bachelor's degree. The main factors considered to influence the income of an individual with a tertiary qualification is gender, age, marital status, occupation, and the level of tertiary education. / MCom (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the level of tertiary education has a positive and significant impact on the level of income received. This study will focus on determining whether each subsequent level of tertiary education causes an increase in the likelihood of earning a higher wage, by using a multinomial logistic regression model as well as cross-tabulation estimates. This study will also make use of two different data samples, where the first sample is sourced from the National Income Dynamics Study's, 2010-2011, adult wave 2 dataset, and the second sample is sourced from a questionnaire distributed to the North-West University's School of Economics alumni from the Potchefstroom campus. Literature indicates that there is a significant relationship between an individual's income and variables such as gender, age, marital status, population group, occupation, sector or industry, years of work experience, location of employment, tenure, union membership, and, most importantly, education. Determining the effect of these variables on the income of tertiary educated individuals, will assist current and future graduates by providing relevant South African labour market information as well as providing some assistance in decisions which may result in higher future earnings. From the NIDS data set, it was found that the level of tertiary education was significantly associated with income, and that higher levels of tertiary education were associated with higher income categories, while lower levels of tertiary education were associated with lower income categories. From the Alumni data set it was concluded that the level of tertiary education was not significantly associated with income, which could be the result of the graduation period (2009-2012) of the sample individuals. It was also found that married individuals were more likely to have earnings within the higher income categories, while the same result was obtained for males as well as for those individuals who were employed in the Gauteng province. It was also found that those individuals with an honours degree had earnings within the low income categories, similar to those individuals with a bachelor's degree. The main factors considered to influence the income of an individual with a tertiary qualification is gender, age, marital status, occupation, and the level of tertiary education. / MCom (Economics), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

<p>Recent studies claims that Sweden has the lowest returns on education compared to other OECD countries. Other research made in the subject tend to focus on the gains from education, but forget to calculate the costs, both direct cost such as material, accommodation and food, but also opportunity costs from not working instead of investing in education.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to study if an investment in an education is an effective way of monetary utility maximizing in Sweden, in other words income. This thesis will investigate whether education will be a profitable investment, and if so how many years of employment it will take an individual to gain from that investment.</p><p>The Human Capital theory is the theoretical framework of this thesis and the result is in Swedish Crowns. This research quantifies that an education is an effective way to income maximizing and men’s payback time in monetary terms are more likely to be shorter than female’s.</p>

Recent studies claims that Sweden has the lowest returns on education compared to other OECD countries. Other research made in the subject tend to focus on the gains from education, but forget to calculate the costs, both direct cost such as material, accommodation and food, but also opportunity costs from not working instead of investing in education. The purpose of this thesis is to study if an investment in an education is an effective way of monetary utility maximizing in Sweden, in other words income. This thesis will investigate whether education will be a profitable investment, and if so how many years of employment it will take an individual to gain from that investment. The Human Capital theory is the theoretical framework of this thesis and the result is in Swedish Crowns. This research quantifies that an education is an effective way to income maximizing and men’s payback time in monetary terms are more likely to be shorter than female’s.

This study deals with skilled migration from a developing country perspective. The migration of skilled individuals from developing countries to developed countries is often viewed as a costly subsidy from the poor nations to the rich, and a threat to their economic development. The first part of the study brings up to date both the theoretical and the policy debate on the impact of skilled migration on the sending economies. The second purpose of the study is to take a closer look at the motivations for skilled emigration from Turkey. The emigration of skilled individuals from Turkey has attracted greater attention in recent years, particularly after the experience of back to back economic crises that have led to increased unemployment among the highly educated young. A survey study was undertaken during the first half of 2002 in order to collect information on various characteristics of Turkish professionals and Turkish students residing abroad. Over 2000 responses were received from the targeted populations. The information from this survey was then used to determine the empirical importance of various factors on return intentions by estimating ordered probit models for the two samples. In the migration literature, wage differentials are often cited as an important factor explaining skilled migration. The findings of the study suggest, however, that other factors are also important in explaining the non-return of Turkish professionals. Economic instability in Turkey is found to be an important push factor, while work experience in Turkey also increases non-return. In the student sample, higher salaries offered in the host country and lifestyle preferences, including a more organized and ordered environment in their current country of study increase the probability of not returning. For both groups, the analysis also points to the importance of prior intentions and the role of the family in the decision to return to Turkey or stay overseas.

Esse trabalho traz os resultados do retorno salarial de se investir em educação no Brasil e desagregado para cada Estado da Unidade da Federação. Diferentes técnicas econométricas foram estimadas, como Mincer, Mincer Adaptado, Método de Variáveis Instrumentais, Método de Heckman e por fim Metodologia de Hansen (2000) que permite inovar a idéia de não linearidade na equação de rendimento proposta por Jaccob Mincer estimada de forma endógena. A analise empírica foi feita com base nas PNAD´s de 2001 a 2008 com dados em dados cross-section. Os resultados apresentados diferenciam em magnitude de cada método econométrico utilizado em destaque o Método de Hansen que permitiu identificar limiares em que o retorno de se investir em educação muda a partir de certo nível de escolaridade quebrada a hipótese de linearidade. Implicando que a não consideração de tal hipótese pode acabar distorcendo a compreensão da função que a educação em si exerce, por exemplo, na distribuição de renda. / This paper presents the results of the wage return of investing in education in Brazil and the disaggregated for each member of the Office of the Federation. Others Different from econometric were estimated as Mincer, Mincer Adapted, All Variable Instrumental, Method of Heckman and finally Methodology Hansen (2000) to innovation to go from no linearity in the equation the revenue proposed by Mincer Jaccob estimated and endogen. The analysis empiric was based on PNAD´s from 2001 to 2008 data with data in cross-section. The presented results differ in magnitude for each method used econometric highlighted the method of which Hansen identified thresholds at which the return of investing in education change it from a certain point of education to broken hypothesis linearity. Implying that if consideration in such a hypothesis can end up distorting the understanding of the function what education the exercise it, for example, distribution the income.

Esse trabalho traz os resultados do retorno salarial de se investir em educação no Brasil e desagregado para cada Estado da Unidade da Federação. Diferentes técnicas econométricas foram estimadas, como Mincer, Mincer Adaptado, Método de Variáveis Instrumentais, Método de Heckman e por fim Metodologia de Hansen (2000) que permite inovar a idéia de não linearidade na equação de rendimento proposta por Jaccob Mincer estimada de forma endógena. A analise empírica foi feita com base nas PNAD´s de 2001 a 2008 com dados em dados cross-section. Os resultados apresentados diferenciam em magnitude de cada método econométrico utilizado em destaque o Método de Hansen que permitiu identificar limiares em que o retorno de se investir em educação muda a partir de certo nível de escolaridade quebrada a hipótese de linearidade. Implicando que a não consideração de tal hipótese pode acabar distorcendo a compreensão da função que a educação em si exerce, por exemplo, na distribuição de renda. / This paper presents the results of the wage return of investing in education in Brazil and the disaggregated for each member of the Office of the Federation. Others Different from econometric were estimated as Mincer, Mincer Adapted, All Variable Instrumental, Method of Heckman and finally Methodology Hansen (2000) to innovation to go from no linearity in the equation the revenue proposed by Mincer Jaccob estimated and endogen. The analysis empiric was based on PNAD´s from 2001 to 2008 data with data in cross-section. The presented results differ in magnitude for each method used econometric highlighted the method of which Hansen identified thresholds at which the return of investing in education change it from a certain point of education to broken hypothesis linearity. Implying that if consideration in such a hypothesis can end up distorting the understanding of the function what education the exercise it, for example, distribution the income.

Esse trabalho traz os resultados do retorno salarial de se investir em educação no Brasil e desagregado para cada Estado da Unidade da Federação. Diferentes técnicas econométricas foram estimadas, como Mincer, Mincer Adaptado, Método de Variáveis Instrumentais, Método de Heckman e por fim Metodologia de Hansen (2000) que permite inovar a idéia de não linearidade na equação de rendimento proposta por Jaccob Mincer estimada de forma endógena. A analise empírica foi feita com base nas PNAD´s de 2001 a 2008 com dados em dados cross-section. Os resultados apresentados diferenciam em magnitude de cada método econométrico utilizado em destaque o Método de Hansen que permitiu identificar limiares em que o retorno de se investir em educação muda a partir de certo nível de escolaridade quebrada a hipótese de linearidade. Implicando que a não consideração de tal hipótese pode acabar distorcendo a compreensão da função que a educação em si exerce, por exemplo, na distribuição de renda. / This paper presents the results of the wage return of investing in education in Brazil and the disaggregated for each member of the Office of the Federation. Others Different from econometric were estimated as Mincer, Mincer Adapted, All Variable Instrumental, Method of Heckman and finally Methodology Hansen (2000) to innovation to go from no linearity in the equation the revenue proposed by Mincer Jaccob estimated and endogen. The analysis empiric was based on PNAD´s from 2001 to 2008 data with data in cross-section. The presented results differ in magnitude for each method used econometric highlighted the method of which Hansen identified thresholds at which the return of investing in education change it from a certain point of education to broken hypothesis linearity. Implying that if consideration in such a hypothesis can end up distorting the understanding of the function what education the exercise it, for example, distribution the income.