Dr. Soham Sahoo and PhD alumnus Dr. Gopinath Annadurai publish research in JEBO

Can first-generation status serve as an effective basis for affirmative action in higher education? A new study co-authored by Dr. Soham Sahoo, Chairperson, Public Policy area, IIM Bangalore, and Dr. Gopinath Annadurai, alumnus of the PhD programme at IIMB, examines this question through the large-scale First-Generation Graduate Scholarship scheme implemented in Tamil Nadu.

Published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization (JEBO), the study evaluates a policy that waived tuition fees for first-generation college students pursuing technical education. Using household survey data and difference-in-differences and synthetic difference-in-differences methods, the researchers find that the scheme led to substantial increases in enrolment and graduation in technical courses, while also influencing students’ choice of technical streams.