I think Brad is wrong here. The rise in tuition fees in the US
(relative to those in Canada) has been credited with restricting the
supply of graduates thereby increasing the college/non-college
differential in the US. For reasons we all teach in labour
economics courses, tuition fees discriminate against those who
come from lower income families.
Over 30 years ago I wrote a paper calling for zero fees and an
income based surtax for people who have taken a university degree
such that there is a tax on the college based income differential
sufficient to pay the public cost (net of the social gain). Thus, a
graduate of a business school who makes a very high income
would pay a much higher tuition fee than a poor philosophy
graduate. However, no one has seen fit to follow my suggestion
that I am aware of.
Paul Phillips,
Economics,
University of Manitoba
On 5 Mar 01, at 9:30, Brad DeLong wrote:
> I believe *very* strongly that in a good society education--as much
> education as people want--should be free. But free higher education
> is not an equality-promoting measure. I cannot look at the doubling
> of in-state undergraduate tuition and fees for U.C. Berkeley to its
> current $4200 a year as a very bad thing. The average college-high
> school wage premium these days is $7.50 an hour, after all. Public
> subsidies for higher education are regressive.
>
> I think that the public should subsidize higher education: I think
> the social benefits from mass secondary and mass higher education are
> enormous.
>
> But don't imagine that you are fighting for equality or for social
> justice when you demand that in-state fees for Berkeley undergrads be
> cut and that a little bit more of the wages of the guy at the 7-11 go
> to fund the Berkeley undergrad's education.
>
> The sickest--absolutely the sickest--meeting ever was when then
> Berkeley Provost Carol Christ opined that Berkeley had an obligation
> to keep the in-state tuition of students at all its professional
> schools, including its Business and Law Schools, very low.
> Income-contingent loans, yes. But a straight $15,000 a year subsidy
> for students at Haas and Boalt?
>
>
> Brad DeLong
>
