Publicly provided education

Chapter 30 in Handbook of Public Economics, 2002, vol. 4, pp 2045-2141 from Elsevier

Abstract: Historically, most attention in public programs has been given to the resources devoted to the activity, and resources have been used to index both commitment and quality. Education differs from other areas of public expenditure because direct measures of outcomes are available, making it is possible to consider results and, by implication, to consider the efficiency of provision. Early interpretations of the evidence, emanating from popular interpretations of the Coleman Report that "schools do not make a difference", are incorrect, but the basic evidence behind the statement suggests serious performance problems of government supply, because purchased inputs to schools are not closely related to outcomes. This paper reviews that evidence along with providing an evaluation of the various controversial aspects including issues of causality, consumer behavior, and estimation approaches. Two detailed policy areas are discussed in terms of the evidence on performance: public versus private provision and the financing of schools.

JEL-codes: H0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B7P63 ... 6115183c8e8cb022c35a
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
Working Paper: Publicly Provided Education (2002)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Handbook of Public Economics from Elsevier
Series data maintained by Heidi Boesdal ().