Was the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme successful in achieving its objectives ?

Was the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme successful in achieving its objectives? Abstract 2 1 Introduction 3 2 Literature Review 5 2.1 History of thinking on EMAs ....................................................... 5 2.2 The model of the investment decision in post-compulsory education ................................................................................... 8 2.3 Findings of previous studies into the impact of EMAs .............. 10 2.4 How this paper adds to the literature ....................................... 13 3 Data 14 3.1 EMA eligibility ........................................................................... 14 3.2 EMA objectives ........................................................................ 19 3.3 Descriptive statistics ................................................................ 19 4 Methodology 24 4.1 Econometric technique ............................................................ 24 4.2 Variables used ......................................................................... 26 5 Results 29 5.1 Participation ............................................................................. 29 5.2 Retention .................................................................................. 30 5.3 Achievement ............................................................................ 32 6 Conclusion 34 Annex 1: EMA Eligibility 35 Annex 2: Technical Annex 36 Bibliography 41