In Italy, the process of devolving more powers on educational matters to Regions and schools poses some relevant policy challenges, among which the necessity to determine “standard” costs for schools stands as a major priority. In this paper, we propose an approach based on cost functions...

This paper analyses political forces that cause an initial expansion of public spending on higher education and an ensuing decline in subsidies. Growing public expenditures increase the future size of the higher income class and thus boost future demand for education. This demand shift implies...

In this paper, the relationship between the school attendance decision and economic incentives is investigated using data from Zambia. A logit model for school attendance is estimated, and it is found that school attendance is not particularly sensitive to changes in costs, quality, or poverty....

This paper re-evaluates the effect of US public school competition on children's educational achievement based on a large longitudinal school profile composed from the Common Core of Data (CCD at NCES). To reconcile the endogenous shift of local competition measures driven by demand side sorting...

Using administrative data on schools in England, we estimate an education production model of cognitive skills at the end of secondary school. We provide empirical evidence of selfproductivity of skills and of complementarity between secondary school inputs and skills at the end of primary...

Using administrative data on schools in England, we estimate an education production model of cognitive skills at the end of secondary school. We provide empirical evidence of self-productivity of skills and of complementarity between secondary school inputs and skills at the end of primary...

This paper offers an explanation for the widespread phenomenon of uniform public schooling, which is viewed here as a way for the government to precommit itself to restraints on future income redistribution. Such precommitment is likely to enhance accumulation of human capital, to bolster...

This paper uses a growth model with public and private education alternatives to investigate the implications of education vouchers for economic growth and the evolution of income inequality. The results indicate that introducing education vouchers can increase economic growth. Families that...

This paper studies the problem of financing a child's primary education when the parent is faced with credit constraints, contracting with minors is not possible and the legal enforceability of contracts is limited – a profound problem in many developing countries. It presents a model in which...