Outsourcing Education: Experimental Evidence from Liberia
American Economic Review
vol. 110,
no. 2, February 2020
(pp. 364-400)
Abstract
In 2016, the Liberian government delegated management of 93 randomly selected public schools to private providers. Providers received US$50 per pupil, on top of US$50 per pupil annual expenditure in control schools. After one academic year, students in outsourced schools scored 0.18σ higher in English and mathematics. We do not find heterogeneity in learning gains or enrollment by student characteristics, but there is significant heterogeneity across providers. While outsourcing appears to be a cost-effective way to use new resources to improve test scores, some providers engaged in unforeseen and potentially harmful behavior, complicating any assessment of welfare gains.Citation
Romero, Mauricio, Justin Sandefur, and Wayne Aaron Sandholtz. 2020. "Outsourcing Education: Experimental Evidence from Liberia." American Economic Review, 110 (2): 364-400. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20181478Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H41 Public Goods
- I21 Analysis of Education
- I28 Education: Government Policy
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration