Parental Preferences for Primary School Characteristics

Free school choice has often been argued to be a tide that lifts school quality through increased competition. This paper analyzes the underlying assumption that school quality is an important choice criterion for parents. Using a large and representative data set of over 15,000 Dutch primary school...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The B.E. journal of economic analysis & policy 2015-01, Vol.15 (1), p.85-117
Main Authors: Borghans, Lex, Golsteyn, Bart H. H., Zölitz, Ulf
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Economic models
Elementary schools
I24
Impact analysis
J24
Quality of education
School choice
school competition
school quality
Studies
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Summary:Free school choice has often been argued to be a tide that lifts school quality through increased competition. This paper analyzes the underlying assumption that school quality is an important choice criterion for parents. Using a large and representative data set of over 15,000 Dutch primary school starters, we estimate models of school demand that incorporate heterogeneity in school preferences. Our results show that traditional measures for school quality matter, but other characteristics, such as school denomination and educational philosophy, are more important predictors of choice. Preferences for these school characteristics are strongly heterogeneous across parents.
ISSN:2194-6108
1935-1682
1935-1682
DOI:10.1515/bejeap-2014-0032