Returns to education: The University of Illinois-People's Republic of China visiting scholars program

Abstract

The effects of the visiting scholars program the University of Illinois has had with various institutions in the PRC since 1978 are evaluated. Data were gathered in the PRC during the summer 1988. The sample was composed of 64 scholars who had studied at the University of Illinois for at least one academic year and a comparison group of their peers who had not had a foreign educational experience.

Research questions were: (1) What is the social rate of return to the visiting scholar's program?, and (2) What are the differences in academic productivity between the sample and their peers who had no foreign educational experience? Twelve productivity indicators were compared and analyzed using standard statistical methods. Survey research methods and rate-of-return analysis were the research methodologies used.

Major research findings included: (1) The social rate of return was a negative 6 percent; (2) in comparing the entire career of the comparison group and the work of the sample group only since their return to the PRC, the sample group was significantly more productive than the comparison group in two areas--number of joint research projects and number of research awards received.