Class-Size Caps, Sorting, and the Regression-Discontinuity Design

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2009
Volume: 99
Issue: 1
Pages: 179-215

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

This paper examines how schools' choices of class size and households' choices of schools affect regression-discontinuity-based estimates of the effect of class size on student outcomes. We build a model in which schools are subject to a class-size cap and an integer constraint on the number of classrooms, and higher-income households sort into higher-quality schools. The key prediction, borne out in data from Chile's liberalized education market, is that schools at the class-size cap adjust prices (or enrollments) to avoid adding an additional classroom, which generates discontinuities in the relationship between enrollment and household characteristics, violating the assumptions underlying regression-discontinuity research designs. (JEL D12, I21, I28, O15)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:99:y:2009:i:1:p:179-215
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29