Understanding Peer Effects: On the Nature, Estimation, and Channels of Peer Effects

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Feld, Jan; Zoelitz, Ulf
• 署名单位: Victoria University Wellington; IZA Institute Labor Economics; Maastricht University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/689472
• 发表日期: 2017
• 页码: 387-428
• 关键词: classroom; achievement; matter

摘要

This paper estimates peer effects in a university context where students are randomly assigned to sections. While students benefit from better peers on average, low-achieving students are harmed by high-achieving peers. Analyzing students' course evaluations suggests that peer effects are driven by improved group interaction rather than adjustments in teachers' behavior or students' effort. Building on Angrist's research, we further show that classical measurement error in a setting where group assignment is systematic can lead to a substantial overestimation of peer effects. However, when group assignment is randomlike in our settingpeer effect estimates are biased toward zero.