PhD scholar Gopinath Annadurai presents research at NEUDC 2024 at Northeastern University, Boston, USA

11 November, 2024, Bengaluru: Gopinath Annadurai, doctoral student from the Public Policy area at IIM Bangalore presented his research at North East Universities Development Consortium (NEUDC) 2024 Conference held at Northeastern University, Boston, USA, on 2 and 3 November 2024. The NEUDC Conference is a major forum in development economics and has been held annually since 1967. His topic of research was, ‘Improving first-generation college students’ education and employment outcomes: Effect of a targeted scholarship program’.

First-generation college students face unique aspirations and challenges in their careers. What will happen if the policy recognizes first-generation students as a target group for intervention? 

In their paper, Gopinath Annadurai and Prof. Soham Sahoo, Public Policy area, find the significant positive impact of a targeted scholarship program on first-generation students' education and longer-term labour market outcomes. The study found a 3.6 percentage point increase in professional course enrollment in response to the policy, translating to around a 43% increase over the mean enrollment rate in professional courses. The treatment also significantly affects the beneficiaries' stream choice and graduate-degree completion rates in favour of professional courses.  

Beyond academic outcomes, the study found that the policy led to a shift towards service-sector employment among first-generation students, accompanied by reduced engagement in agriculture-related work, decreased casual employment, and an increased propensity for active job-seeking.