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Diversity, choice and the quasi-market: An empirical analysis of secondary education policy in England

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Steve Bradley
Jim Taylor

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Abstract

This paper investigates the extent to which exam performance at the end of compulsory education has been affected by three major education reforms: the introduction of a quasi-market following the Education Reform Act (1988); the specialist schools initiative introduced in 1994; and the Excellence in Cities programme introduced in 1999. We use data for all state-funded secondary schools in England over the period 1992-2006. The empirical analysis, which is based on the application of panel data methods, indicates that the government and its agencies have substantially overestimated the benefits flowing from these three major reforms. Only about one-third of the improvement in GCSE exam scores during 1992-2006 is directly attributable to the combined effect of the education reforms. The distributional consequences of the policy, however, are estimated to have been favourable, with the greatest gains being achieved by schools with the highest proportion of pupils from poor families. But there is evidence that resources have not been allocated efficiently.

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Paper provided by Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department in its series Working Papers with number 005141.

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Date of creation: 2007
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Handle: RePEc:lan:wpaper:005141

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  1. Marlow, Michael L., 1999. "Spending, school structure, and public education quality. Evidence from California," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 19(1), pages 89-106, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Stephen Machin & Sandra McNally & Costas Meghir, 2004. "Improving Pupil Performance in English Secondary Schools: Excellence in Cities," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 2(2-3), pages 396-405, 04/05. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Bearse, Peter & Glomm, Gerhard & Ravikumar, B., 2000. "On the political economy of means-tested education vouchers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(4-6), pages 904-915, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Gradstein, Mark & Justman, Moshe, 2000. "Human capital, social capital, and public schooling," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(4-6), pages 879-890, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Steve Bradley & Jim Taylor, 2000. "The effect of the quasi-market on the efficiency-equity trade-off in the secondary school sector," Working Papers 000031, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
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  6. Marlow, Michael L, 1997. "Public Education Supply and Student Performance," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 29(5), pages 617-26, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Stephen Machin & Sandra McNally, 2005. "Gender and Student Achievement in English Schools," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 21(3), pages 357-372, Autumn.
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  8. Hoxby, Caroline Minter, 1996. "Are Efficiency and Equity in School Finance Substitutes or Complements?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 10(4), pages 51-72, Fall. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Glennerster, Howard, 1991. "Quasi-markets for Education?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(408), pages 1268-76, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Hoxby, Caroline M., 1999. "The productivity of schools and other local public goods producers," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(1), pages 1-30, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Andrew Jenkins & Rosalind Levacic, 2004. "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Specialist Schools," CEE Discussion Papers 0038, Centre for the Economics of Education, LSE. [Downloadable!]
  12. Thomas J. Nechyba, 2000. "Mobility, Targeting, and Private-School Vouchers," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(1), pages 130-146, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. S Bradley & R Crouchly & J Millington & J Taylor, . "Testing for Quasi-Market Forces in Secondary Education," Working Papers cr03/98, Department of Economics, University of Lancaster.
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  14. Zanzig, Blair R., 1997. "Measuring the impact of competition in local government education markets on the cognitive achievement of students," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 431-441, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Stephen Gibbons & Stephen Machin & Olmo Silva, 2006. "Choice, Competition and Pupil Achievement," IZA Discussion Papers 2214, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  16. Jim Taylor, 2007. "Estimating the Impact of the Specialist Schools Programme on Secondary School Examination Results in England," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 69(4), pages 445-471, 08. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Hanushek, Eric A, 1986. "The Economics of Schooling: Production and Efficiency in Public Schools," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 1141-77, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Caroline M. Hoxby, 1998. "The Effects of Class Size and Composition on Student Achievement: New Evidence from Natural Population Variation," NBER Working Papers 6869, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Blair, John P. & Staley, Sam, 1995. "Quality competition and public schools: Further evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 193-198, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Levin, Henry M., 1991. "Views on the economics of educational choice: A reply to West," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 171-175, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  21. Geraint Johnes & Steve Bradley & Jim Millington, 1999. "School choice, competition and the efficiency of secondary schools in England," Working Papers 000021, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department. [Downloadable!]
  22. Borland, Melvin V. & Howsen, Roy M, 1992. "Student academic achievement and the degree of market concentration in education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 31-39, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  23. Le Grand, Julian, 1991. "Quasi-markets and Social Policy," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(408), pages 1256-67, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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