Erika T. Povea to defend her PhD
On Wednesday, 26 August, Erika T. Povea will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defend her thesis for the PhD degree at NHH.
Title of thesis
“Essays on Economics of Education and Social Mobility”
Education is often seen as one of the main ways societies can promote economic opportunity and social mobility. But access to education alone does not guarantee equal opportunities. The environments in which children grow up, the institutions that determine access to education, and families’ economic circumstances can shape educational choices and later outcomes.
In her thesis, Erika T. Povea examines how opportunities are created or constrained in different contexts across the world.
The first essay studies the consequences of organised crime in Ecuador. It shows that organised crime increases school dropout among younger students and is associated with higher risks for young people outside school, including homicides among boys and earlier pregnancies among girls. Household income also falls substantially. The study shows that organised crime can worsen local economic conditions and make it harder for financially constrained families to keep children in education.
The second essay examines Colombia’s national college entrance exam and shows that even small features of test design can influence access to higher education. Students are less likely to answer correctly when the correct option appears last. Although the effect is small at the question level, it affects overall scores and can influence which universities and programmes students enter. The findings show that seemingly objective testing systems can contain hidden sources of disadvantage.
The third essay studies earnings inequality among siblings in Norway. It shows that declining earnings inequality is largely driven by siblings becoming more similar, particularly in families with daughters. The main explanation is women’s increased participation in the labour market, especially full-time employment, rather than convergence in education alone.
Taken together, the essays show that economic opportunity is shaped not only by individual ability and choices, but also by local environments, institutional rules, and changes within families.
Prescribed topic for the trial lecture
“The relationship between crime and human capital: Insights from Becker's theory and related empirical findings”
Trial lecture
10:15, Aud. Karl Borch, NHH
Defense:
12:15, Aud. Karl Borch, NHH
Members of the evaluation committee
Associate Professor Björn Rolf Brey (chair of the committee), Department of Economics, NHH
Associate Professor Petra Thiemann, Lund University
Associate Professor Nadine Ketel, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics
Supervisors
Professor Aline Bütikofer (main supervisor), Department of Economics, NHH
Professor Katrine V. Løken, Department of Economics, NHH