Course Title: Doctor of Philosophy in Economics

Thesis Title: Demand for overseas tertiary education from india. Strategic and competitive implications for the Indian economy and major education explorting nations 

Supervisors: Prof Phil Lewis and Dr Phil Larkin

Abstract

India has enjoyed steady economic growth since the reforms of 1991; prosperity has brought with it a higher derived demand for education, especially at the tertiary level. As the incomes of middle class Indians have steadily increased, it has brought with it a desire for training that leads to a more sophisticated skill set and qualifications that are in demand by employers both in India and overseas. While the Indian education system has tried to maintain pace with this increased demand, increasingly, Indian students are choosing overseas destinations to acquire tertiary skills. While there has been an increase in Indian demand for overseas tertiary education, not much is explicitly known about the exact determinants of this demand. This research proposal starts by offering a brief review of the literature on the empirical modelling of the demand for higher education and rates of returns to education, followed by an audit of potential data sources and a proposed timeline for research. The review of recent literature does not identify a comprehensive treatment of the Indian demand for international tertiary education.

Fundamentally, the primary research questions can be condensed to 

What benefits does an overseas tertiary qualification provide Indian students? What motivates their choice of a particular overseas destination and what are the implications for the Indian education sector, the broader Indian economy and key education exporting nations such as Australia

The proposed research has a number of applications ranging from competitive curriculum design, aiding in efficient marketing to prospective overseas students from India, effective immigration policy design with respect to visas and human resource management applications for Indian and multinational firms.

Short Bio:

Bilal Rafi recently completed his Bachelor of Philosophy with first class honours from the University of Canberra. His honours thesis was related to the analysis of Economic policies of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 2011 he was awarded the University of Canberra Medal and a Dean’s Excellence award for his academic achievements. Bilal was also the recipient of the Financial Services Institute of Australia Canberra chapter award in 2007. He is also actively involved in teaching at the Faculty of Business and Government at the University of Canberra and works as an economic analyst for a private consultancy that provides strategic advice to clients such as Rio Tinto Ltd and Macquarie Bank along with producing original empirical research predominantly related to minerals demand. His research interests include spatial economics, growth theory, inequality and labour economics. In his spare time he enjoys photography and creative writing.