Michael, Tommy & Ryan: Dude-o-nomics

Colgate University Public Economics Course

Given the current political climate and emergence of presidential candidates touting campaign promises, the policy of free higher education has resurged as a topic of renewed interest. We, as politically involved citizens, want to understand the economic impact of free universal higher education in the United States. Considering that this is a currently debated topic in American politics, it is important to analyze the various components of this extra government provision, such as redistribution, crowd out, research methodology, positive externalities, financing, implementation. From our research and discussion with experts in the field of education economics, we believe that a universal higher education policy could be beneficial for closing socioeconomic gaps in the United States. However, we believe it would be best to invest more into the current systems we have of higher education, rather than a complete overhaul. Our current system works fairly efficiently and is already very progressive, but more could be done to improve education outcomes for all students. Furthermore, the government should be primarily focused on alleviating inequality in K through 12 education which can lead to greater college preparedness and higher college enrollment rates.