The Performance of School Assignment Mechanisms in Practice

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2023
Volume: 131
Issue: 2
Pages: 388 - 455

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 4 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

We use a unique combination of register and survey data from Amsterdam to investigate the performance of school assignment mechanisms in practice. We find that deferred acceptance (DA) results in higher mean welfare than the adaptive Boston mechanism. This is due to students making strategic mistakes. The welfare gain of a switch from actual Boston to DA is over 90% of the welfare difference between actual Boston and optimal (proxy) Boston. Disadvantaged and lower-ability students would benefit most from such a switch.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:doi:10.1086/721230
Journal Field
General
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25