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School Choice: A Mechanism Design Approach

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Author Info
Atila Abdulkadiroglu () (Department of Economics, Columbia University)
Tayfun Smez () (Boston College - Department of Economics)
Abstract

A central issue in school choice is the design of a student assignment mechanism. Education literature provides guidance for the design of such mechanisms but does not offer specific mechanisms. The flaws in the existing school choice plans result in appeals by unsatisfied parents. We formulate the school choice problem as a mechanism design problem and analyze some of the existing school choice plans including those in Boston, Columbus, Minneapolis, and Seattle. We show that these existing plans have serious shortcomings, and offer two alternative mechanisms each of which may provide a practical solution to some critical school choice issues.

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Paper provided by Columbia University, Department of Economics in its series Discussion Papers with number 0203-18.

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Length: 39 pages
Date of creation: 2003
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Handle: RePEc:clu:wpaper:0203-18

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Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
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    Other versions:
  29. Roth, Alvin E, 1984. "The Evolution of the Labor Market for Medical Interns and Residents: A Case Study in Game Theory," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 92(6), pages 991-1016, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Joana Pais & Agnes Pinter, 2007. "School Choice and Information. An Experimental Study on Matching Mechanisms," Labsi Experimental Economics Laboratory University of Siena 018, University of Siena. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  2. Muriel Niederle & Alvin E. Roth, 2004. "Market Culture: How Norms Governing Exploding Offers Affect Market Performance," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000000207, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Atila Abdulkadiroğlu & Parag A. Pathak & Alvin E. Roth, 2005. "The New York City High School Match," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(2), pages 364-367, May. [Downloadable!]
  4. Atila Abdulkadiroglu, 2003. "College admissions with affirmative action," Discussion Papers 0203-19, Columbia University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Alvin E. Roth & Tayfun Sönmez & M. Utku Ünver, 2005. "Efficient Kidney Exchange: Coincidence of Wants in a Structured Market," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 621, Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Atila Abdulkadiroglu & Parag A. Pathak & Alvin E. Roth & Tayfun Sönmez, 2006. "Changing the Boston School Choice Mechanism," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000001022, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Paul Milgrom, 2003. "Matching with Contracts," Working Papers 03003, Stanford University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. John W. Hatfield & Paul Milgrom, 2005. "Auctions, Matching and the Law of Aggregate Demand," Levine's Bibliography 122247000000000780, UCLA Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  9. Nitsan Perach & Julia Polak & Uriel Rothblum, 2008. "A stable matching model with an entrance criterion applied to the assignment of students to dormitories at the technion," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 519-535, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Joana Pais, 2008. "Random matching in the college admissions problem," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 99-116, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Marilda Sotomayor, 2008. "The stability of the equilibrium outcomes in the admission games induced by stable matching rules," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 621-640, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Koji Takamiya & Akira Tanaka, 2006. "Computational Complexity in the Design of Voting Rules," ISER Discussion Paper 0653, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University, revised Jul 2006. [Downloadable!]
  13. Atila Abdulkadiroglu & Yeon-Koo Che & Yosuke Yasuda, 2008. "Expanding "Choice" in School Choice," Discussion Papers 0809-09, Columbia University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  14. Yan Chen & Tayfun Sönmez, 2004. "School Choice: An Experimental Study," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 622, Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  15. Che, Yeon-Koo & Gale, Ian, 2006. "Market versus Non-Market Assignment of Initial Ownership," MPRA Paper 6095, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 30 May 2006. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  16. C. Nicholas McKinney & Muriel Niederle & Alvin E. Roth, 2005. "The Collapse of a Medical Labor Clearinghouse (and Why Such Failures Are Rare)," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(3), pages 878-889, June. [Downloadable!]
  17. Joana Pais & Agnes Pinter & Robert F. Veszteg, 2008. "College admissions and the role of information : an experimental study," Economics Working Papers we080302, Universidad Carlos III, Departamento de Economía. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  18. Atila Abdulkadiroğlu & Parag A. Pathak & Alvin E. Roth & Tayfun Sonmez, 2005. "The Boston Public School Match," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 95(2), pages 368-371, May. [Downloadable!]
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