How Information Affects Support for Education Spending: Evidence from Survey Experiments in Germany and the United States

Martin R. West (martin_west@gse.harvard.edu), Ludger Woessmann, Philipp Lergetporer and Katharina Werner
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Martin R. West: Harvard University

No 10357, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: To study whether current spending levels and public knowledge of them contribute to transatlantic differences in policy preferences, we implement parallel survey experiments in Germany and the United States. In both countries, support for increased education spending and teacher salaries falls when respondents receive information about existing levels. Treatment effects vary by prior knowledge in a manner consistent with information effects rather than priming. Support for salary increases is inversely related to salary levels across American states, suggesting that salary differences could explain much of Germans' lower support for increases. Information about the tradeoffs between specific spending categories shifts preferences from class-size reduction towards alternative purposes.

Keywords: education spending; United States; Germany; cross-country comparison; policy preferences; information; survey experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 D83 H52 I22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 51 pages
Date: 2016-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-pol
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

Published - published in: Journal of Public Economics, 2018, 167, 138-157

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Related works:
Journal Article: How information affects support for education spending: Evidence from survey experiments in Germany and the United States (2018)
Working Paper: How information affects support for education spending: Evidence from survey experiments in Germany and the United States (2018)
Working Paper: How Information Affects Support for Education Spending: Evidence from Survey Experiments in Germany and the United States (2017)
Working Paper: How Information Affects Support for Education Spending: Evidence from Survey Experiments in Germany and the United States (2016)
Working Paper: How Information Affects Support for Education Spending: Evidence from Survey Experiments in Germany and the United States (2016)
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