American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Going to a Better School: Effects and Behavioral Responses
American Economic Review
vol. 103,
no. 4, June 2013
(pp. 1289–1324)
Abstract
This paper applies a regression discontinuity design to the Romanian secondary school system, generating two findings. First, students who have access to higher achievement schools perform better in a (high stakes) graduation test. Second, the stratification of schools by quality in general, and the opportunity to attend a better school in particular, result in significant behavioral responses: (i) teachers sort in a manner consistent with a preference for higher achieving students; (ii) children who make it into more selective schools realize they are relatively weaker and feel marginalized; (iii) parents reduce effort when their children attend a better school.Citation
Pop-Eleches, Cristian, and Miguel Urquiola. 2013. "Going to a Better School: Effects and Behavioral Responses." American Economic Review, 103 (4): 1289–1324. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.4.1289Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I28 Education: Government Policy
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth