An Economist Goes to College

Guest host Jason Delisle speaks with Amy Laitinen, director for higher education with the Education Policy program at New America. In this episode, they discuss college earnings metrics: though knowing how much a student who pursues a particular major at a particular university seems like obvious information, in fact, that data has only recently become available. Amy discusses the history of this data, its potential, and its limitations.

Beth speaks with Kristin Blagg, a senior research associate in the Center on Education Data and Policy at the Urban Institute who focuses on educational funding and finance policy. In this episode, they discuss how data can be used to measure college outcomes and influence decisions about where to go to college, and how geography impacts student choice.

Beth speaks with Mike Itzkowitz, the founder and president of the HEA group and a senior fellow at Third Way, a national think tank that champions modern center-left ideas. In this episode, they discuss the college scorecard, which is a tool for publishing college outcomes data, and the massive leaps forward we've seen in transparency in higher education in the last decade.

Beth speaks with Ben and Jenna Storey, visiting fellows in Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and professors of politics and international affairs at Furman University. They are the authors of "Why We Are Restless," which discusses how the pursuit of happiness can wind up making us less happy. In this episode, they discuss whether college is really fulfilling its purpose and helping students find direction.

Beth speaks with Barmak Nassirian, Vice President for Higher Education Policy at Veterans Education Success, about the rise of higher education finance as a political phenomenon. They discuss the problems that lead to its prominence, and what we can expect to happen next.

Beth is joined by Justin Draeger, the president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), to discuss the fraught Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program: what it is, why it exists, how it's working, and what should be done about it.

Beth speaks with Kevin James, founder and CEO of Better Future Forward, about income-share agreements, their role in the future of paying for college, and what might stand in the way of this promising innovation.

Beth speaks with Melissa Korn, a higher education journalist for The Wall Street Journal, about the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, its impact on the admissions process so far, and what the scandal has revealed about our higher education system. See Melissa and co-author Jennifer Levitz's recent book about the Varsity Blues scandal: "https://www.amazon.com/Unacceptable-Privilege-College-Admissions-Scandal-ebook/dp/B085XK4KFH (Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of the College Admissions Scandal)" (Penguin Random House, 2020).

Beth speaks with Jon Meer, a professor of economics at Texas A&M University, about why college tuition keeps rising and what we can do to change its upward trajectory.

Beth speaks with Josh Mitchell, who covers economics and student debt for the Wall Street Journal, about his newest book, “The Debt Trap: How Student Loans Became a National Catastrophe” (Simon and Schuster, 2021). They discuss the history of the student loan system, what the student debt crisis is precisely, and what it means for the future of higher education policy. Link to "The Debt Trap": bit.ly/DebtTrapBook

Beth speaks with Ari Rabin-Havt, legislative director and chief policy advisor for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) about the merits and drawbacks associated with making college tuition-free, how to create better market incentives in the higher education space, and what it takes to have a middle-class life and achieve the American dream in the 21st century.

Beth speaks with Kristin Sharp, CEO of the Education Quality Outcomes Standards Board (EQOS) and Alison Griffin, SVP of Whiteboard Advisors, about the landscape of non-college alternatives, how aspiring students should think locally when it comes to job training, challenging the stigma surrounding vocational programs, and advice for aspiring students on how to find high quality programs.

On May 18, AEI hosted a panel discussion on how to make data-driven decisions about higher education. The University of North Carolina System's Andrew P. Kelly, The Wall Street Journal's Josh Mitchell, and Braven's Vince Marigna discussed Beth Akers' new book, https://www.aei.org/tag/making-college-pay/ (“Making College Pay: An Economist Explains How to Make a Smart Bet on Higher Education” )(Penguin Random House, 2021). The conversation addressed how aspiring students can make strategic rather than romantic decisions about college, how parents can be practical when assisting their children in this process, and how higher education can remain an engine for opportunity, upward mobility, and prosperity.

Beth speaks with Bryan Caplan, Professor of Economics at George Mason University, about his book, “The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money” (Princeton University Press, 2018). They both talk about the signaling model vs the human capital model of higher education, the current “arms-race” surrounding postsecondary degrees, the non-economic benefits of education, misconceptions about the cost of college, and practical advice for aspiring students. 

Beth talks with Wade Eyerly, the founder and CEO of Degree Insurance, about the potential role for insurance in the world of higher education, the risk involved in postsecondary education, and what this emerging industry is doing for students. 

In this episode, Beth speaks with Douglas Webber, a professor of economics at Temple University, about the risks associated with picking and paying for college, which factors (i.e. major, institution, etc) matter most when it comes to your degree paying off, and advice for aspiring students on how to mitigate risk.

Beth talks with Michelle Singletary, a personal finance columnist for The Washington Post, about what parents should consider before enrolling their children into college, the role of student debt in financing a degree, and advice for aspiring students and parents about how they can think critically about paying for college.

In this episode, Beth speaks with Ron Lieber, a personal finance columnist for The New York Times and author of the book, “The Price You Pay for College,” about the ins and outs of the college decision-making process. They talk about what aspiring students and their families most often get wrong about the system, and what they really can't afford to misunderstand, when it comes to picking and paying for college.