Crawfurd, Lee (2018) Contracting out schools at scale: evidence from Pakistan. RISE Working Paper Series.

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Abstract

Can governments contract out the management of schools to private operators at scale? This paper estimates the effect of a school reform in Punjab, Pakistan, in which 4,276 poorly performing public primary schools (around 10 percent of the total) were contracted out to private operators in a single school year. These schools remain free to students and the private operator receives a per-student subsidy equivalent to less than half of spending in government schools. Using a difference-in-difference framework we estimate that enrolment in converted schools increased by over 60 percent. Converted schools see a slight decline in overall average test scores, but this may be a composition effect rather than a treatment effect. Schools with the same number or fewer students as in the previous year saw no change in average test scores.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Charter Schools, Difference-in-difference, Pakistan, PPPs, Public-Private Partnerships
Schools and Departments:	School of Business, Management and Economics > Economics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences L Education > L Education (General)
Related URLs:	https://www.riseprogramme.org/sites/www....
Depositing User:	Lee Crawfurd
Date Deposited:	10 Dec 2018 10:55
Last Modified:	10 Dec 2018 10:55
URI:	http://srodev.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/71897

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