Correlation Neglect in Student-to-School Matching

B-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Microeconomics
Year: 2024
Volume: 16
Issue: 3
Pages: 1-42

Authors (3)

Alex Rees-Jones (University of Pennsylvania) Ran Shorrer (not in RePEc) Chloe Tergiman (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

We present results from three experiments containing incentivized school choice scenarios. In these scenarios, we vary whether schools' assessments of students are based on a common priority (inducing correlation in admissions decisions) or are based on independent assessments (eliminating correlation in admissions decisions). The quality of students' application strategies declines in the presence of correlated admissions: application strategies become substantially more aggressive and fail to include attractive "safety" options. We provide a battery of tests suggesting that this phenomenon is at least partially driven by correlation neglect, and we discuss implications for the design and deployment of student-to-school matching mechanisms.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejmic:v:16:y:2024:i:3:p:1-42
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29