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School Competition and Efficiency with Publicly Funded Catholic Schools

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Listed:
  • David Card
  • Martin D. Dooley
  • A. Abigail Payne

Abstract

We study competition between two publicly funded school systems in Ontario, Canada: one that is open to all students, and one that is restricted to children of Catholic backgrounds. A simple model of competition between the competing systems predicts greater effort by school managers in areas with more Catholic families who are willing to switch systems. Consistent with this insight, we find significant effects of competitive pressure on test score gains between third and sixth grade. Our estimates imply that extending competition to all students would raise average test scores in sixth grade by 6 percent to 8 percent of a standard deviation. (JEL I21, I22, H75, Z12)

Suggested Citation

  • David Card & Martin D. Dooley & A. Abigail Payne, 2010. "School Competition and Efficiency with Publicly Funded Catholic Schools," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(4), pages 150-176, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aejapp:v:2:y:2010:i:4:p:150-76
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.2.4.150
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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    1. School Competition and Efficiency with Publicly Funded Catholic Schools (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 2010) in ReplicationWiki

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