The Short- and Long-Term Effects of School Choice on Student Outcomes - Evidence from a School Choice Reform in Sweden

78 Pages Posted: 29 Nov 2013

See all articles by Verena Wondratschek

Verena Wondratschek

ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research; Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN)

Karin Edmark

Research Institute of Industrial Economics

Markus Frölich

Universität Mannheim, Chair of Econometrics

Multiple version iconThere are 4 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 15, 2013

Abstract

This paper evaluates the effects of a major Swedish school choice reform. The reform in 1992 increased school choice and competition among public schools as well as through a large-scale introduction of private schools. We estimate the effects of school choice and competition, using precise geographical information on the locations of school buildings and children’s homes for the entire Swedish population for several cohorts affected at different stages in their educational career. We can measure the long-term effects up to age 25. We find that increased school choice had very small, but positive, effects on marks at the end of compulsory schooling, but virtually zero effects on longer term outcomes such as university education, employment, criminal activity and health.

Keywords: school choice, school competition, treatment evaluation, cognitive and noncognitive skills

JEL Classification: I20, C21

Suggested Citation

Wondratschek, Verena and Edmark, Karin and Frölich, Markus, The Short- and Long-Term Effects of School Choice on Student Outcomes - Evidence from a School Choice Reform in Sweden (November 15, 2013). ZEW - Centre for European Economic Research Discussion Paper No. 13-105, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2360549 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2360549

Verena Wondratschek (Contact Author)

ZEW – Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research ( email )

P.O. Box 10 34 43
L 7,1
D-68034 Mannheim, 68034
Germany

Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IFN) ( email )

Box 55665
Grevgatan 34, 2nd floor
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

Karin Edmark

Research Institute of Industrial Economics ( email )

Box 55665
Stockholm, SE-102 15
Sweden

HOME PAGE: http://www.ifn.se\karine

Markus Frölich

Universität Mannheim, Chair of Econometrics ( email )

L7, 3-5
68131 Mannheim
D-Mannheim, 68131
Germany

HOME PAGE: http://froelich.vwl.uni-mannheim.de

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