Share:


Higher education institutions’ impact on the economy

Abstract

Despite the strong public interest in the accountability and efficiency in education spending on higher education institutions (HEIs) in Lithuania, there are currently no existing studies which have examined the impact of HEIs on the country’s economy. In the present study, we have used a disaggregated input-output table for Lithuania’s tertiary education institutions in order to determine the output value added to the local economy by the presence of HEIs. The results of the study have revealed that HEIs contribute to the Lithuanian economy in the period of (2010–2016), with the average of gross domestic output (GDP) of 298.48 mln. euros. The present study is the first of its kind to use input-output table evaluate the impact of HEIs on Lithuania’s economy, and its results could be of significant value to the current policy debates regarding the status of higher education in Lithuania.

Keyword : higher education institutions (HEIs), economic impact, input-output analysis, universities, Lithuania

How to Cite
Vaiciukevičiūtė, A., Stankevičienė, J., & Bratčikovienė, N. (2019). Higher education institutions’ impact on the economy. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 20(3), 507-525. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2019.10156
Published in Issue
Apr 26, 2019
Abstract Views
1992
PDF Downloads
1530
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Barra, C., & Zotti, R. (2017). Investigating the human capital development–growth nexus: does the efficiency of universities matter? International Regional Science Review, 40(6), 638-678. https://doi.org/10.1177/0160017615626215

Beck, R., Elliott, D., Meisel, J., & Wagner, M. (1995). Economic impact studies of regional public colleges and universities. Growth and Change, 26(2), 245-260. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2257.1995.tb00170.x

Bonwell, C. C., & Eison, J. A. (1991). Active learning: creating excitement in the classroom. 1991 ASHEERIC Higher Education Reports. ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, The George Washington University, One Dupont Circle, Suite 630, Washington, DC 20036-1183.

Borralho, C., Feria, I., & Lopes, S. (2015). The impact of higher education on socioeconomic and development dynamics: lessons from six study cases. Investigaciones de Economía de la Educación 10, 10, 887-905.

Brennan, J., Cochrane, A., Lebeau, Y., & Williams, R. (2018). Universities, economic development and regeneration. In J. Brennan, A. Cochrane, Y. Lebeau, & R. Williams (Eds.), The University in its Place (pp. 61-74). Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1296-3_4

Carroll, M. C., & Smith, B. W. (2006). Estimating the economic impact of universities: the case of Bowling Green State University. The Industrial Geographer, 3(2), 1-12.

Ciccone, A., & Peri, G. (2006). Identifying human-capital externalities: theory with applications. The Review of Economic Studies, 73(2), 381-412. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-937X.2006.00380.x

Cox, S., & Taylor, J. (2006). The impact of a business school on regional economic development: a case study. Local Economy, 21(2), 117-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/02690940600608069

Daniunas, A., Kliukas, R., Prentkovskis, O., & Ulinskaite, D. (2013). The impact of Lithuanian science and study reform on university activities (admission): A case of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 565-573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.09.240

Deininger, K., & Byerlee, D. (2011). The rise of large farms in land abundant countries: Do they have a future? The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-5588

Drucker, J. (2016). Reconsidering the regional economic development impacts of higher education institutions in the United States. Regional Studies, 50(7), 1185-1202. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2014.986083

Drucker, J., & Goldstein, H. (2007). Assessing the regional economic development impacts of universities: A review of current approaches. International regional science review, 30(1), 20-46.

Elliott, D. S., Levin, S. L., & Meisel, J. B. (1988). Measuring the economic impact of institutions of higher education. Research in Higher Education, 28(1), 17-33.

Florax, R. G. M. (1992). The university: a regional booster? Economic impacts of academic knowledge infrastructure. Aldershot, UK: Avebury.

Forrant, R. (2001). Pulling together in Lowell: the university and the regional development process. European Planning Studies, 9(5), 613-628. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654310120057331

Fotea, A. C., & Gutu, C. (2016). Historical and theoretical framework of the relation between higher education institutions and the process of regional economic development. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 4(1), 23-42. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2016.040103

Garrido-Yserte, R., & Gallo-Rivera, M. T. (2010). The impact of the university upon local economy: three methods to estimate demand-side effects. The Annals of Regional Science, 44(1), 39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-008-0243-x

Glasson, M. J., Stapleton, F., Keay, L., Sweeney, D., & Willcox, M. D. (2003). Differences in clinical parameters and tear film of tolerant and intolerant contact lens wearers. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 44(12), 5116-5124. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.03-0685

Goddard, J., & Vallance, P. (2013). The university and the city. New York: Routledge

Goldstein, H., & Renault, C. (2004). Contributions of universities to regional economic development: A quasi-experimental approach. Regional Studies, 38(7), 733-746. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034340042000265232

Guerrero, M., Cunningham, J. A., & Urbano, D. (2015). Economic impact of entrepreneurial universities’ activities: An exploratory study of the United Kingdom. Research Policy, 44(3), 748-764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2014.10.008

Harris, R. I. (1997). The impact of the University of Portsmouth on the local economy. Urban Studies, 34(4), 605-626. https://doi.org/10.1080/0042098975943

Hermannsson, K., Lisenkova, K., McGregor, P., & Swales, J. (2010). An HEI-disaggregated input-output table for Wales. University of Strathclyde Glasgow.

Hermannsson, K., Lisenkova, K., McGregor, P. G., & Swales, J. K. (2013). The expenditure impacts of individual higher education institutions and their students on the Scottish economy under a regional government budget constraint: homogeneity or heterogeneity? Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 45(3), 710-727. https://doi.org/10.1068/a45233

Hermannsson, K., Lisenkova, K., McGregor, P. G., & Swales. J. K. (2015). The expenditure impacts of London’s higher education institutions: the role of diverse income sources. Studies in Higher Education, 40(9), 1641-1659. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.899338

Hermannsson, K., & Swales, K. (2010). Capturing the overall economic impacts of HEIs. Commissioned report.

Herndon, M. C. (2008). The public benefits of higher education: examining the relationship between state spending on higher education and the formation of human capital (Doctoral dissertation). Virginia Tech.

Huggins, R., & Cooke, P. (1997). The economic impact of Cardiff University: innovation, learning and job generation. GeoJournal, 41(4), 325-337. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006863820399

Huggins, R., & Johnston, A. (2009). The economic and innovation contribution of universities: a regional perspective. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 27(6), 1088-1106. https://doi.org/10.1068/c08125b

Huggins, R., Johnston, A., & Thompson, P. (2012). Network capital, social capital and knowledge flow: how the nature of inter-organizational networks impacts on innovation. Industry and Innovation, 19(3), 203-232. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2012.669615

Jaeger, A., & Kopper, J. (2014). Third mission potential in higher education: measuring the regional focus of different types of HEIs. Review of Regional Research, 34(2), 95-118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10037-014-0091-3

Johansen, T., & Arano, K. (2016). The long-run economic impact of an institution of higher education: Estimating the human capital contribution. Economic Development Quarterly, 30(3), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891242416655204

Kaiser, F., Vossensteyn, H., & Koelman, J. (2001). Public funding of higher education. A comparative study of funding mechanisms in ten countries. Enter for Higher Education Policy Studies, 1-127.

Kotosz, B., Gaunard-Anderson, M. F., & Lukovics, M. (2018). The local economic impact of universities: an international comparative analysis (France and Hungary). In Entrepreneurship in Post-Communist Countries (pp. 115-131). Cham: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75907-4_8

Legcevic, J., & Hecimovic, V. (2016). Internal quality assurance at a higher education institution. Business Excellence, 10(2), 75-87.

Leontief, W. W. (1936). Quantitative input and output relations in the economic systems of the United States. The review of economic statistics, 105-125.

Lepori, B., Benninghoff, M., Jonbloed, B., Salerno, C., & Slipersaeter, S. (2007). Changing models and patterns of higher education funding: Some empirical evidence. In A. Bonaccorsi & C. Daraio (Eds.), Universities and strategic knowledge creation (pp. 85-111). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

MacDonald, J. L. (2010). Lithuanian migration in crisis? A look into the effects of the current economic crisis on migration (Master Thesis). Lund University.

McGregor, P., Swales, K., & McLellan, D. (2006). The overall impact of higher education institutions on regions: a critical review. Centre for Public Policy for the Regions’s Network on the Overall Impact of HEIs on Regional Economies: Final Report, Centre for Public Policy for Regions, Glasgow.

Moretti, E. (2004). Workers’ education, spillovers, and productivity: evidence from plant-level production functions. American Economic Review, 94(3), 656-690.

OECD. (2018). How does the earnings advantage of tertiary-educated workers evolve across generations? Education Indicators in Focus, No. 62. OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/3093362c-en

OECD. (2017). Education in Lithuania, reviews of national policies for education. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264281486-en

OECD. (2013). Education at a Glance 2013: OECD Indicators. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/eag-2013-en

Pastor, J. M., Pérez, F., & De Guevara, J. F. (2013). Measuring the local economic impact of universities: An approach that considers uncertainty. Higher education, 65(5), 539-564. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-012-9562-z

Power, D., & Malmberg, A. (2008). The contribution of universities to innovation and economic development: in what sense a regional problem? Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society, 1(2), 233-245. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjres/rsn006

Psacharopoulos, G., & Patrinos, H. (2002). Returns to investment in education: a further update. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2881, Washington, DC: The World Bank.

Republic of Lithuania. (1991). Law on higher education and research. Retrieved from https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.674/umHBBFNLba

Republic of Lithuania. (2009). Law on higher education and research. Retrieved from https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/TAIS.343430

Siegfried, J. J., Sanderson, A. R., & McHenry, P. (2007). The economic impact of colleges and universities. Economics of Education Review, 26(5), 546-558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2006.07.010

Steinacker, A. (2005). The economic effect of urban colleges on their surrounding communities. Urban Studies, 42(7), 1161-1175. https://doi.org/10.1080/00420980500121335

Stokes, K., & Coomes, P. (1998). The local economic impact of higher education: An overview of methods and practice. AIR Professional File, 67(6), 1-14.

Thanki, R. (1999). How do we know the value of higher education to regional development? Regional studies, 33(1), 84-94.

Thomas, H. G. (2001). Towards a new higher education law in Lithuania: reflections on the process of policy formulation. Higher Education Policy, 14, 213-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0952-8733(01)00015-0

Tilak, J. B. (2018). The Kothari commission and financing of education. In Education and Development in India (pp. 255-282). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Uyarra, E. (2010). Conceptualizing the regional roles of universities, implications and contradictions. European Planning Studies, 18(8), 1227-1246.

Vengris, S. (1997). External evaluation of studies at Vilnius University, 1994-95. Quality in Higher Education, 3(1), 81-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/1353832960030109

Viaene, J. M., & Zilcha, I. (2013). Public funding of higher education. Journal of Public Economics, 108, 78-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2013.09.008

World Bank Group. (2016). World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends. World Bank Publications.

Yen, S. H., Ong, W. L., & Ooi, K. P. (2015). Income and employment multiplier effects of the Malaysian higher education sector. Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, 9(1), 61-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973801014557391

Yudkevich, M., Altbach, P. G., & Rumbley, L. E. (2017). International faculty in higher education: com-parative perspectives on recruitment, integration, and impact. New York, NY: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315543437

Yusuf, S. (2007). University–industry links: policy dimensions. In S. Yusuf & K. Nabeshima (Eds.), How universities promote economic growth. Washington, DC: World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-6751-3

Zhang, Q., Larkin, C., & Lucey, B. M. (2017). The economic impact of higher education institutions. In Economic Insights on Higher Education Policy in Ireland (pp. 199-219). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48553-9_8

Zhang, Q., Larkin, C., & Lucey, B. M. (2017). The economic impact of higher education institutions in Ireland: evidence from disaggregated input–output tables. Studies in Higher Education, 42(9), 1601-1623. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1111324