In the last decades, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced a dramatic increase in the levels of higher education enrollment. Using administrative data from Chile and Colombia, we find that this phenomenon is not always associated with higher private individual returns. In...

This paper estimates the heterogeneous labor market effects of enrolling in higher education short-cycle (SC) programs. Expanding access to these programs might affect the behavior of some students (compliers) in two margins: the expansion margin (students who would not have enrolled in higher...

Front Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- Abbreviations -- Overview -- New Data to Answer New Questions -- General Landscape of SCPs in LAC -- Labor Market Outcomes of SCP Graduates -- Supply of SCPs -- What Makes a Program "Good"? -- Policy to Realize the...

Short-cycle higher education programs (SCPs) can play a central role in skill development and higher education expansion, yet their quality varies greatly within and among countries. In this paper we explore the relationship between programs’ practices and inputs (quality determinants) and...

Short-cycle higher education programs (SCPs) can play a central role in skill development and higher education expansion, yet their quality varies greatly within and among countries. In this paper we explore the relationship between programs' practices and inputs (quality determinants) and...

This paper explores the relationship between the practices, inputs, and other characteristics of short-cycle higher education programs (SCPs) and their students' academic and labor market outcomes. A novel survey was designed and conducted to collect program-level information on quality...

This paper estimates the labor market effects of enrolling in a short-cycle program in Colombia. Following evidence for the U.S., increasing access to short-cycle degrees might attract some students who would not have enrolled in higher education otherwise (i.e., the expansion or democratization...