Money Matters - Evidence from a Large-Scale Randomized Field Experiment with Vouchers for Adult Training

38 Pages Posted: 23 Feb 2009

See all articles by Dolores Messer

Dolores Messer

University of Bern

Stefan C. Wolter

Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education (SKBF); University of Bern - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 2009

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a randomized experiment analyzing the use of vouchers for adult training. In 2006, 2,400 people were issued with a training voucher which they were entitled to use in payment for a training course of their choice. User behavior was compared with a control group of 14,000 people. People in the treatment and in the control group were not aware at any time that they were part of an experiment. The experiment shows that the voucher had a significant causal impact on participation in training modules. Nevertheless, the increase was partially offset by a deadweight loss in excess of fifty percent.

Keywords: field experiment, voucher, adult education, training, Switzerland

JEL Classification: C93, I22, J24

Suggested Citation

Messer, Dolores and Wolter, Stefan C., Money Matters - Evidence from a Large-Scale Randomized Field Experiment with Vouchers for Adult Training (February 2009). CESifo Working Paper Series No. 2548, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1347953 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1347953

Dolores Messer

University of Bern ( email )

Gesellschaftsstrasse 49
CH-3012 Bern, BERN 3001
Switzerland

Stefan C. Wolter (Contact Author)

Swiss Coordination Centre for Research in Education (SKBF) ( email )

CH - 5000 Aarau
Switzerland
+41 62 835 23 90 (Phone)
+41 62 835 23 99 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.skbf-csre.ch

University of Bern - Department of Economics ( email )

Gesellschaftstrasse 49
Bern, CH-3012
Switzerland
+41 31 631 40 95 (Phone)
+41 31 631 39 92 (Fax)

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
189
Abstract Views
1,099
Rank
226,885
PlumX Metrics