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  3. American Economic Review
  4. June 2006
  5. Long-Term Educational Consequences of Secondary School Vouchers: Evidence from Administrative Records in Colombia

Long-Term Educational Consequences of Secondary School Vouchers: Evidence from Administrative Records in Colombia

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Abstract

Colombia's PACES program provided over 125,000 poor children with vouchers that covered the cost of private secondary school. The vouchers were renewable annually conditional on adequate academic progress. Since many vouchers were assigned by lottery, program effects can reliably be assessed by comparing lottery winners and losers. Estimates using administrative records suggest the PACES program increases secondary school completion rates by 15 to 20 percent. Correcting for the greater percentage of lottery winners taking college admissions tests, the program increased test scores by two-tenths of a standard deviation in the distribution of potential test scores. (JEL: I21, J12, I28)

Citation

Angrist, Joshua, Eric Bettinger, and Michael Kremer. 2006. "Long-Term Educational Consequences of Secondary School Vouchers: Evidence from Administrative Records in Colombia." American Economic Review, 96 (3): 847-862. DOI: 10.1257/aer.96.3.847

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • I22 Educational Finance; Financial Aid
  • O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration