Effects of the Bologna Reform on Educational Outcomes: Micro Evidence from Germany

Sabrina Hahm () and Jochen Kluve ()
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Sabrina Hahm: Humboldt University Berlin
Jochen Kluve: KfW Development Bank

No 10201, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: The Bologna Process aimed at harmonizing European higher education systems and at increasing their efficiency. This paper analyzes impacts of the Bologna Reform for Germany by using unique micro data from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU). We estimate treatment effects on the probability to graduate within instructional time, on standardized study duration, and on final overall grades. Variation in treatment introduction over time and across departments generates exogenous assignment of students into a treatment (Bachelor) and control group (Diploma). We account for potentially remaining selection bias by estimating a 2SLS model using the share of first-year Bachelor students among all students as an instrument. Our empirical results are robust across specifications and sample stratifications and indicate the following: the Bologna reform led to a significant and sizeable increase in the probability of graduating within planned instructional time; it also significantly decreased standardized study duration. At the same time, overall final grades are significantly worse in the treatment group.

Keywords: instrumental variables; impact analysis; university reform; education policy; Bologna process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I28 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2016-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-eur
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Published - revised version published as 'Better with Bologna? Tertiary education reform and student outcomes' in: Education Economics, 2019, 27 (4), 425 - 559

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