Measuring the incentives to learn in Colombia using new quantile regression approaches

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lamarche, Carlos
• 署名单位: University of Oklahoma System; University of Oklahoma - Norman
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2010.10.003
• 发表日期: 2011
• 页码: 278-288
• 关键词: Colombian vouchers; incentives; quantile regression; panel data; instrumental variables

摘要

This paper employs newly developed quantile regression techniques to investigate a policy that could differentially affect students' performance. The Colombian vouchers were assigned using lotteries, and were renewable as long as the students maintained satisfactory academic progress. This second aspect of the program may provide incentives for low attainment students to work harder. The evidence supports the hypothesis that incentives could account for the impact of the vouchers, including lower repetition rate. The effect of the vouchers is largest in the lower tail of the educational attainment distribution, a possibility that was conjectured by others, but has not yet been confirmed empirically. The evidence suggests that the incentive effect of the program increases weak students' test scores by at least 0.1 standard deviations, roughly the score gain associated to a half year of school learning. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.