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Personnel Management and School Productivity: Evidence from India

Author

Listed:
  • Renata Lemos
  • Karthik Muralidharan
  • Daniela Scur

Abstract

This paper uses new data to study school management and productivity in India. We report four main results. First, management quality in public schools is low, and ~2σ below high-income countries with comparable data. Second, private schools have higher management quality, driven by much stronger people management. Third, people management quality is correlated with both independent measures of teaching practice, as well as school productivity measured by student value added. Fourth, private school teacher pay is positively correlated with teacher effectiveness, and better-managed private schools are more likely to retain their most effective teachers. Neither pattern is seen in public schools.

Suggested Citation

  • Renata Lemos & Karthik Muralidharan & Daniela Scur, 2021. "Personnel Management and School Productivity: Evidence from India," NBER Working Papers 28336, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28336
    Note: CH DEV ED LS PE PR
    as

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    Cited by:

    1. Anand, Gautam & Atluri, Aishwarya & Crawfurd, Lee & Pugatch, Todd & Sheth, Ketki, 2023. "Improving school management in low and middle income countries: A systematic review," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. Daniela Scur & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen & Renata Lemos & Nicholas Bloom, 2021. "The World Management Survey at 18: lessons and the way forward," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 37(2), pages 231-258.
    3. Lucas, Adrienne M., 2024. "Selection, training, and importance of school heads and supervisors across Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    4. Bilicka, Katarzyna & Scur, Daniela, 2024. "Organizational capacity and profit shifting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    5. Florian Englmaier & Gerd Muehlheusser & Andreas Roider & Niklas Wallmeier, 2022. "Management and Performance in the Public Sector: Evidence from German Municipalities," CESifo Working Paper Series 10060, CESifo.
    6. de Hoyos, Rafael & Djaker, Sharnic & Ganimian, Alejandro J. & Holland, Peter A., 2024. "The impact of combining performance-management tools and training with diagnostic feedback in public schools: Experimental evidence from Argentina," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Gooptu, Sayoree & Mukherjee, Vivekananda, 2023. "Does private tuition crowd out private schooling? Evidence from India," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    8. Lauterbach, Simeon & Crawfurd, Lee & Kirezi, Jocelyne C. & Nsabimana, Aimable & Peeraer, Jef, 2025. "Improving school leadership in Rwanda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    9. Julie Schaffner & Paul Glewwe & Uttam Sharma, 2025. "Why Programs Fail: Lessons for Improving Public Service Quality from a Mixed-Methods Evaluation of an Unsuccessful Teacher Training Program in Nepal," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 39(2), pages 473-496.
    10. Kumar, Deepak & Choudhury, Pradeep Kumar, 2021. "Do private schools really produce more learning than public schools in India? Accounting for student’s school absenteeism and the time spent on homework," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    11. Emma Duchini & Victor Lavy & Stephen Machin & Shqiponja Telhaj, 2025. "Personnel policy in public sector organizations: evidence from England's academy schools," CEP Discussion Papers dp2129, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    12. Romero, Mauricio & Bedoya, Juan & Yanez-Pagans, Monica & Silveyra, Marcela & de Hoyos, Rafael, 2022. "Direct vs indirect management training: Experimental evidence from schools in Mexico," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    13. Asim, Minahil & Dee, Thomas S., 2022. "Mobile Phones, Civic Engagement, and School Performance in Pakistan," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • M5 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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