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International and comparative
Can Greater Access to Education Be Inequitable? New Evidence from India's Right to Education Act
Topics: Policy, Politics, and GovernanceIndia took a decisive step toward universal basic education by proclaiming a constitutionally-guaranteed Right to Education (RTE) Act in 2009 that called for full access of children aged 6-14 to free schooling. This paper considers the offsetting effects to RTE from induced expansion of private… more →
The Non-Democratic Roots of Mass Education: Evidence from 200 Years
Topics: Policy, Politics, and GovernanceBecause primary education is often conceptualized as a pro-poor redistributive policy, a common argument is that democratization increases its provision. But primary education can also serve the goals of autocrats, including redistribution, promoting loyalty, nation-building, and/or… more →
Can Camp Get You Into a Good Secondary School? A Field Experiment of Targeted Instruction in Kenya
Access to quality secondary schooling can be life-changing for students in developing contexts. In Kenya, entrance to such schools has historically been determined by performance on a high-stakes exam. Understandably then, preparation for this exam is a high priority for Kenyan families and… more →
Child beliefs, societal beliefs, and teacher-student identity match
Topics: Student LearningChildren routinely benefit from being assigned a teacher who shares an identity with them, such as gender or ethnicity. We study how student beliefs impact teacher-student gender match effects, and how this varies across subjects with different societal beliefs about differential ability by… more →
Does achievement rise fastest with school choice, school resources, or family resources? Chile from 2002 to 2013
Topics: Policy, Politics, and GovernanceDebates in education policy draw on different theories about how to raise children’s achievement. The school competition theory holds that achievement rises when families can choose among competing schools. The school resource theory holds that achievement rises with school… more →
Effects of the shift to English-only instruction on college outcomes: Evidence from Central Asia
English-only college education in non-English speaking countries is a rapidly growing phenomenon that has been dubbed as the most important trend in higher education internationalization. Despite worldwide popularity, there is little empirical evidence about how the transition to English-only… more →