The Impact of College Graduates on Bahamian Society: With Emphasis on Graduates from The College of The Bahamas

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v20i2.209

Keywords:

Higher Education, Economics, College of The Bahamas

Abstract

Society at large, both government and residents, invests in education, a process which is considered to reach its apex with a university qualification. Economically, education is typically seen to be both a private and public good, and so it is useful to determine the benefits to both the individual and society arising from this investment. This paper examines the economic contributions of university-educated Bahamians to society. Using information obtained from The College of The Bahamas and other official sources, the study demonstrates that having a populace with higher education has a beneficial impact upon the Bahamian economy.

Author Biography

William J. Fielding, The College of The Bahamas,

Director of Planning, The Planning Unit

References

Altbach, P. G., Reisberg, L., & Rumbley, L. E. (2009). Trends in global higher education: Tracking an academic revolution. UNESCO. http://atepie.cep.edu.rs/public/Altbach,_Reisberg,_Rumbley_Tracking_an_Academic_Revolution,_UNESCO_2009.pdf

Bahamas Department of Statistics. (2004). The Bahamas living conditions survey, 2001. https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/d01ce76a-75b4-4229-baae-af3b87b6816c/Bahamas+Living+Conditions+Survey+2001+report-Copy.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Bahamas Department of Statistics. (2011). Labour force and household income survey. http://statistics.bahamas.gov.bs/download/086361700.pdf

Bahamas Department of Statistics. (2012). 2010 Census of population and housing. http://statistics.bahamas.gov.bs/download/024494100.pdf

Bahamas Ministry of Finance. (2012). Estimates of expenditure on revenue account, 2012/13. http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/ca15826e-824d-4109-bbf4-dc68436a3c5b/FY2012+Recurrent+Expenditure+Estimates+Details+20120529.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Bethel, K. (1999). Educational reform in The Bahamas. http://www.wethepeoplebahamas.org/UserFiles/HTMLEditor/EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN THE BAHAMAS by keva bethel.pdf

Brathwaite, N., Brathwaite, A., & Taylor, M. (2011). The socio-economic determinants of obesity in adults in the Bahamas. West Indian Medical Journal, 60(4), 434-441. https://www.mona.uwi.edu/fms/wimj/system/files/article_pdfs/dr_brathwaite.qxd_.pdf

Brennen, B. H. (2003, November 20). Gender issues in tertiary education [Conference presentation]. Association of Tertiary Education Annual Conference, Nassau, Bahamas. http://www.soencouragement.org/genderissues-in-higher-education.htm

Carroll, M., Fielding, W. J., Brennen, S., & Hutcheson, S. (2011, November 5). Rearing violence in Bahamian homes [Conference presentation]. Violence Symposium, College of the Bahamas. http://www.cob.edu.bs/Research/ViolenceSymposium/ViolenceSymposium2011_ViolenceinHomes.pdf

Coulson, N. E. (2002). Housing policy and the social benefits of homeownership. Business Review, 2, 7-16. https://www.philadelphiafed.org/-/media/frbp/assets/economy/articles/business-review/2002/q2/brq202ec.pdf

Cunningham, A. (2006). The broader societal benefits of higher education. Solutions for our Future. http://english.highline.edu/developmental/Broader%20Social%20Benefits.pdf

Lochner, L., & Moretti, E. (2003). The effect of education on crime: Evidence from prison inmates, arrests, and self-reports. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED463346.pdf

National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2003). Costs of intimate partner violence against women in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.bvsde.paho.org/bvsacd/cd57/intimate.pdf

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. (2012). What are the returns on higher education for individuals and countries? Education Indicators in Focus, 6. https://doi.org/10.1787/5k961l69d8tg-en

Parke, M. (2003). Are married parents really better for children?: What research says about the effects of family structure on child well-being. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED476114.pdf

Progressive Liberal Party (Bahamas). (2012). A charter for governance. http://myplp.org/issues/charter/

Prison numbers swell (2012, May 25). The Bahamas Journal. http://jonesbahamas.com/prison-numbers-swell/

Rodgers, K. J. (2013). The Bahamian dream. Media Enterprises.

Rossi, P. H., & Weber, E. (1996). The social benefits of homeownership: Empirical evidence from national surveys. Housing Policy Debate, 7(1), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.1996.9521212

Seguino, S. (2003). Why are women in the Caribbean so much more likely than men to be unemployed? Social & Economic Studies, 52(4), 83-120. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27865354

Stevenson, M. (2012, September 18). Economic discourse and criminality in The Bahamas [Conference presentation]. Criminality Colloquium, College of The Bahamas.

Taylor, M. C., Gibson, J., & Fielding, W. J. (2013, June 12). The role of education in national development: The case of an independent Bahamas [Conference presentation]. The Bahamas at Forty Colloquium, College of The Bahamas.

Taylor, M. C. & Johnson, P. (2012). [Family factors and educational attainment Unpublished manuscript].

Thompson, D., Edelsberg, J., Colditz, G. A., Bird, A. P., & Oster, G. (1999). Lifetime health and economic consequences of obesity. Archives of Internal Medicine, 159(18), 2177-2183. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.159.18.2177

United Nations Development Programme. (2011). Human development report 2011. http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/271/hdr_2011_en_complete.pdf

U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, & World Bank Latin America and the Caribbean Region. (2007). Crime, violence, and development: trends, costs, and policy options in the Caribbean. http://www.unodc.org/pdf/research/Cr_and_Vio_Car_E.pdf

World Bank, & International Finance Corporation. (2011). The Bahamas country profile 2010. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/11/11/000470435_20141111143411/Rendered/PDF/922960WP0Box380PUBLIC00Bahamas02010.pdf

Downloads

Published

2015-01-01