Preferences of young people in Colombia, Ecuador, and Spain for postgraduate programmes and career expectations: evidence from a discrete choice experiment.

Abstract

This thesis, therefore, closely follows three lines of research that are directly related. The first line of research is dedicated to education. We analyse the preferences of business and economics students as regards the different characteristics of master¿s degree programmes and specializations offered in Spain, Colombia and Ecuador. These preferences evidence the economic valuation of postgraduate programmes for students in a quantitative and rigorous way. The second line of research is dedicated to the expectations of young people in the labour market. We analyse students¿ job preferences and we show the economic valuation of specific characteristics of a job in Spain, Colombia and Ecuador. Lastly, we study the impact of a master¿s degree on the probability of vertical and horizontal job¿education mismatches in Spain.