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School Vouchers Italian Style

Author

Listed:
  • Giorgio Brunello

    (University of Padua, IZA and CESifo)

  • Daniele Checchi

    (University of Milan and IZA)

Abstract

School vouchers introduced recently in some Italian regions have lowered the cost of private schools. On the one hand, we provide evidence that Italian private schools may be selected for different reasons other than quality considerations. On the other hand, by exploiting individual data on voucher applicants, we present evidence that the percentage of voucher applicants is higher, the higher the average quality of private schools. We explain this with the fact that better quality schools provide better services to students, including information and consulting on vouchers. We show that enrolment in private schools responds sluggishly to changes in tuition induced by vouchers. Under stringent assumptions, we estimate the slopes of supply and demand of private education in the largest Italian region, Lombardy, during the first two years since implementation of a voucher scheme, and provide a quantitative assessment of the long-term impact of vouchers on tuition fees and enrolment in private schools.

Suggested Citation

  • Giorgio Brunello & Daniele Checchi, 2004. "School Vouchers Italian Style," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 63(3-4), pages 357-399, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gde:journl:gde_v63_n3-4_p357-399
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. D. N. Figlio & J. A. Stone, "undated". "School Choice and Student Performance: Are Private Schools Really Better?," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1141-97, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty.
    2. Brunello, Giorgio & Rocco, Lorenzo, 2004. "Diploma No Problem: Can Private Schools Be of Lower Quality than Public Schools?," IZA Discussion Papers 1336, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Lorenzo Cappellari, 2004. "High school types, academic performance and early labour market outcomes," CHILD Working Papers wp03_04, CHILD - Centre for Household, Income, Labour and Demographic economics - ITALY.
    4. Daniele Checchi & Claudio Lucifora (ed.), 2004. "Education, Training and Labour Market Outcomes in Europe," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-52265-7.
    5. Vandenberghe, V. & Robin, S., 2004. "Evaluating the effectiveness of private education across countries: a comparison of methods," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 487-506, August.
    6. Gianni de Fraja, 2002. "The Design of Optimal Education Policies," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 69(2), pages 437-466.
    7. Daniele Checchi & Giuseppe Bertola, 2001. "Sorting and private education in Italy," Departmental Working Papers 2001-21, Department of Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods at Università degli Studi di Milano.
    8. Daniele Checchi, 2004. "Da dove vengono le competenze scolastiche?," Stato e mercato, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 3, pages 413-454.
    9. Giuseppe Bertola & Daniele Checchi, 2004. "Sorting and Private Education in Italy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Daniele Checchi & Claudio Lucifora (ed.), Education, Training and Labour Market Outcomes in Europe, chapter 4, pages 69-108, Palgrave Macmillan.
    10. Cecilia Elena Rouse, 1998. "Private School Vouchers and Student Achievement: An Evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(2), pages 553-602.
    11. Simon Burgess & Brendon McConnell & Carol Propper & Deborah Wilson, 2004. "Sorting and Choice in English Secondary Schools," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 04/111, The Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol, UK.
    12. Derek Neal, 2002. "How Vouchers Could Change the Market for Education," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 25-44, Fall.
    13. Helen F. Ladd, 2002. "School Vouchers: A Critical View," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 3-24, Fall.
    14. Daniele Checchi & Claudio Lucifora, 2004. "Education, Training and Labour Market Outcomes," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Daniele Checchi & Claudio Lucifora (ed.), Education, Training and Labour Market Outcomes in Europe, chapter 1, pages 3-7, Palgrave Macmillan.
    15. Epple, Dennis & Romano, Richard E, 1998. "Competition between Private and Public Schools, Vouchers, and Peer-Group Effects," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(1), pages 33-62, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Massimiliano Bratti & Daniele Checchi & Antonio Filippin, 2007. "Geographical Differences in Italian Students' Mathematical Competencies: Evidence from Pisa 2003," Giornale degli Economisti, GDE (Giornale degli Economisti e Annali di Economia), Bocconi University, vol. 66(3), pages 299-333, November.
    2. Peter Bearse & Buly A. Cardak & Gerhard Glomm & B. Ravikumar, 2009. "Why do Education Vouchers Fail?," CAEPR Working Papers 2009-014, Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Department of Economics, Indiana University Bloomington.
    3. Francesco C. Billari & Guido Tabellini, 2010. "Italians Are Late: Does It Matter?," NBER Chapters, in: Demography and the Economy, pages 371-412, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    school choice; vouchers; private school;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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