John Singleton, University of Rochester

Abstract:  While parents and students value schools for many reasons, evaluation of school choice programs typically focuses on impacts on student outcomes alone. In this paper, we pursue a unique research design to estimate the welfare impacts of offering vouchers to attend private schools. Using control group data drawn from a randomized controlled trial of private school vouchers in rural India, we first develop and estimate an empirical model of school choice subject to ability-to-pay. We then externally validate the estimated welfare impacts by comparing model predictions for a simulated voucher program with the treatment group outcomes.

Friday, December 7, 2018
3:30pm – 5:00pm
Fronczak 444