Vouchers for Basic Education in Developing Economies : An Accountability Perspective

Gauri, Varun ; Vawda, Ayesha

World Bank

关键词: ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT;    ACADEMIC OUTCOMES;    ACADEMIC YEAR;    ACCESS TO INFORMATION;    ACHIEVEMENT SCORES;   

DOI  :  10.1093/wbro/lkh017
RP-ID  :  76489

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Advocates argue that voucher programscan correct the incentive problems of education systems indeveloping economies. An accountability perspective, basedon a principal-agent framework, was developed to clarify thearguments for and against education vouchers. An assessmentof findings on voucher programs in industrial countries anda review of voucher or quasi-voucher experiences inBangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, and theCzech Republic support the usefulness of the analyticframework. The assessment concludes that the policyrelevance of voucher programs for developing economiesremains uncertain. Major voucher initiatives have beenattempted only in countries with a well-developedinstitutional infrastructure. Some studies find favorablebenefits for at least some population groups, but othersfind limited effects and evidence of increasing socialstratification in schools. Whether vouchers lead to betteroutcomes or greater stratification appears related tospecific contexts, institutional variables, and program designs.