Vouchers for Private Schooling in Colombia: Evidence from a Randomized Natural Experiment

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2002
Volume: 92
Issue: 5
Pages: 1535-1558

Score contribution per author:

1.609 = (α=2.01 / 5 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

Colombia used lotteries to distribute vouchers which partially covered the cost of private secondary school for students who maintained satisfactory academic progress. Three years after the lotteries, winners were about 10 percentage points more likely to have finished 8th grade, primarily because they were less likely to repeat grades, and scored 0.2 standard deviations higher on achievement tests. There is some evidence that winners worked less than losers and were less likely to marry or cohabit as teenagers. Benefits to participants likely exceeded the $24 per winner additional cost to the government of supplying vouchers instead of public-school places.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:92:y:2002:i:5:p:1535-1558
Journal Field
General
Author Count
5
Added to Database
2026-01-24