Heterogeneity in School Value-Added and the Private Premium

Abstract:

We estimate and validate test score-based measures of school quality (School Value-Added or SVAs) in Pakistan. We document substantial variation in SVA within villages and within the public and private sectors, leading to a wide range of possible estimates of the private premium. We also show that parents value SVA. Heterogeneity in parental demand for quality helps explain both the evolution of the market over time and cross-market variation in school quality. The supply-side responds to parental demand for quality in the private sector, but there is no evidence it does so in the public sector.