Replication Data for: Learning to Love Government? Technological Change and the Political Economy of Higher Education

Why do voters have divergent beliefs about the role of government in solving social problems? We study this question in the context of skill-biased technological change and investment in higher education. We document that the negative income consequences of technological change are, descriptively, mitigated in US counties with greater levels of higher education investment. We show that exposure to these conditions is, in turn, correlated with greater public support for higher education spending. We conclude that higher education investments are productive. However, we also find evidence consistent with the idea that whether people in a community learn the benefits of higher education spending depends on what they believed to begin with. Learning is history dependent. In a context where higher education spending dampens the negative employment effects of technological change, a history of believing that education is productive may advantage local communities in learning the true productivity of higher education investments.

为何选民对于政府在解决社会问题中所应扮演的角色持有截然不同的看法？我们以技能偏向型技术变革（skill-biased technological change）与高等教育投资为研究背景，围绕该议题展开研究。我们通过描述性分析证实，技术变革带来的收入层面负面影响，在高等教育投资水平更高的美国县域中得到了显著缓解。进一步研究表明，身处此类环境的民众，对高等教育支出的公共支持度也相对更高。据此我们推断，高等教育投资具备正向产出效益。不过，我们也发现相关证据支持以下观点：社区民众能否认知到高等教育支出的益处，取决于其初始所持有的信念。学习过程具备路径依赖性。在高等教育支出能够平抑技术变革带来的负面就业效应的背景下，若某一社区过往秉持“教育具备正向效益”的信念，将有助于当地群体更准确地认知高等教育投资的真实效益。