Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2014
Abstract
The Fulbright program attracts applicants passionate about service and research abroad. Applicants apply to one country. To aid their decisions, competition statistics giving approximate probabilities of being awarded a scholarship are released for each country. This paper examines how competition statistics influence country choices. In aggregate, our results suggest that applicants are not swayed to apply to countries with low competition or deterred from countries with high competition. However, accounting for the difference in scholarship types and the macroeconomic context, there is strong evidence of opportunistic behavior by teaching applicants and for all applicants when the unemployment rate is high.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Eastern Economic Journal
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Gill, Carrie and Corey Lang. "Are Fulbright Applicants Idealists or Opportunists?" Eastern Economic Journal, May 19 2014. DOI: 10.1057/eej.2014.26. Available: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/eej/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/eej201426a.html
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