Valuing School Quality via a School Choice Reform

B-Tier
Journal: Scandanavian Journal of Economics
Year: 2016
Volume: 118
Issue: 1
Pages: 3-24

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Among policymakers, educators, and economists, there remains a strong debate on the extent to which good schools matter. In this paper, we estimate school quality valuations based upon house prices, by considering a policy reform regarding pupils' choices to attend high school. We exploit a change in school choice that occurred in Oslo county in 1997, where school authorities altered policy from one based on catchment zones to an open enrollment policy that allowed pupils to apply to any high school. Our estimates show that parents substantially value better performing schools because the sensitivity of housing valuations to school performance falls significantly (by over 50 percent) following the school choice reform that made the move to open enrollment.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:scandj:v:118:y:2016:i:1:p:3-24
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25