The Heterogeneity of the 'Private School Effect' in Italian Primary Education

CESifo Economic Studies 62(1), 126-147, March 2016

41 Pages Posted: 11 Dec 2012 Last revised: 9 Mar 2016

See all articles by Tommaso Agasisti

Tommaso Agasisti

Politecnico di Milano - Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering

Samuele Murtinu

Utrecht University - School of Economics

Piergiacomo Sibiano

Polytechnic University of Milan - Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering

Date Written: January 1, 2016

Abstract

In this study, we have carried out an empirical investigation on the potential differences in school performance between pupils attending public schools and those attending private schools in the most densely populated region of Italy (Lombardy), employing a new dataset of about 77,000 students in the final or fifth year (grade 5) of around 1,000 schools. This is the first study to be carried out on the effects of private schooling in primary education in Italy. Our analysis uses an Instrumental Variables (IV) methodology to test the effectiveness of the voucher plan implemented by the regional government - the Region. The results show that, on average, there is no statistically significant “private school effect”. However, when exploring the potential heterogeneity of such effect, we did find that attending a private school is associated with higher performance in standardized test scores for two categories of pupils: immigrants and those from a relatively disadvantaged socio-economic background. From a policy perspective, we believe that private schools at primary level can serve disadvantaged pupils better and so help to improve equal opportunities throughout the entire educational system. These results challenge previous evidence about the role of private schooling in the Italian educational system.

Keywords: Schools’ performance, private schools, Instrumental Variables, heterogeneity, regional policy

JEL Classification: I21, H7

Suggested Citation

Agasisti, Tommaso and Murtinu, Samuele and Sibiano, Piergiacomo, The Heterogeneity of the 'Private School Effect' in Italian Primary Education (January 1, 2016). CESifo Economic Studies 62(1), 126-147, March 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2187401 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2187401

Tommaso Agasisti

Politecnico di Milano - Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering ( email )

Piazza Leonardo da Vinci
Milan, Milan 20133
Italy

Samuele Murtinu (Contact Author)

Utrecht University - School of Economics ( email )

Kriekenpitplein 21-22
Adam Smith Building
Utrecht, +31 30 253 7373 3584 EC
Netherlands

Piergiacomo Sibiano

Polytechnic University of Milan - Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering ( email )

Via Lambruschini 4C - building 26/A
Milano, 20156
Italy
+390223993959 (Phone)
+390223992720 (Fax)

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