A Framework for Assessing the Distributional Effects of School Closures
Drawing on linked student-teacher administrative records and geographic data, I distinguish school and teacher contributions to achievement and estimate how families substitute among schools following closures. Rural-poor students account for approximately half of modeled displacement but bear 62 percent of total access losses.
≈30%
of rural-poor students’ total modeled access loss avoided by keeping open the 47 schools farthest from a surviving alternative.
Abstract
Declining student populations and fiscal pressures are forcing public education systems to consolidate schools. But which schools should governments close, who bears the costs, and could alternative decisions reduce inequalities without sacrificing educational quality? I develop and estimate a framework combining spatial school choice and educational production to address these questions, using Puerto Rico’s large-scale school closures during 2013–17. Drawing on linked student-teacher administrative records and geographic data, I distinguish school and teacher contributions to achievement and estimate how families substitute among schools following closures. The results reveal substantial inequalities in geographic access and educational quality. Rural-poor students account for approximately half of modeled displacement but bear 62 percent of total access losses. Moreover, changes in estimated school effectiveness are approximately 0.10 test-score standard deviations less favorable for rural-poor students than for urban non-poor students. Counterfactual analyses reveal important policy trade-offs. Prioritizing closures near surviving schools substantially reduces access losses for rural-poor students without significantly improving their exposure to effective schools. Reallocating displaced teachers yields limited gains, while better information about school effectiveness could improve families’ choices. These findings demonstrate why evaluating school consolidation requires considering both the accessibility and educational effectiveness of alternative schools.
Limiting the Influence of Rich Voters on Elections
The Case of the Democracy Voucher in Seattle
The study uses empirical data to explore how public funding influences private political contributions, particularly across different incomes and political groups. The analysis reveals a decrease in private donations following the implementation of public funding, with significant variances observed across various demographic segments.
Abstract
This paper investigates the impact of public funding on elections, focusing on voters’ responses to the “Democracy Voucher” policy in Seattle. The study uses empirical data to explore how public funding influences private political contributions, particularly across different incomes and political groups. The analysis reveals a decrease in private donations following the implementation of public funding, with significant variances observed across various demographic segments. The paper employs a micro-founded model to further understand these trends, particularly among high-income contributors, and examines how public funding redistributes political influence. The findings highlight the complexity of electoral financing and its implications for political equity and democracy.
Ride-hailing Demand Elasticity: A Regression Discontinuity Method
with S. A. Madanizadeh and H. Joshaghani · Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 50: 907–932, 2023
Using the unique pricing method of Tapsi, the second-largest ride-hailing company in Iran, we estimate the price elasticity of demand for Tapsi rides.
The Effects of School Consolidation on Students and Teachers
Evidence from an Underperforming System
with Gustavo J. Bobonis, Orlando J. Sotomayor, Jeancarlo Vélez Lebrón, and Jessica Wagner
Using a matched event study design that controls for students’ enrollment histories, We find that school closures led to a 2 percentage points decline in enrollment and no effects on students’ achievement in mathematics or language standardized tests, on average. Moreover, students displaced from under-(over-) performing schools experience large achievement gains (losses) relative to their non-displaced peers.
Abstract
In recent years, a number of states and school districts in the US have engaged in large scale school consolidation reforms driven by infrastructure underutilization and the objective of reallocating scarce resources across schools. We investigate the determinants of this type of school consolidations, their effects on student enrollment and achievement, as well as the consequences for teachers, using data from over 400 consolidations of public elementary and middle schools across Puerto Rico during the period 2010-18. We document that school closures were orthogonal to students’ academic performance at baseline; the strongest predictors of school closure are low aggregate enrollment levels and small average class sizes. Using a matched event study design that controls for students’ enrollment histories, We find that school closures led to a 2 percentage points decline in enrollment and no effects on students’ achievement in mathematics or language standardized tests, on average. Moreover, students displaced from under-(over-) performing schools experience large achievement gains (losses) relative to their non-displaced peers. These positive effects coincide with accessing teachers with higher (lower) baseline value added, and are much larger in magnitude compared to estimates from higher-performance school districts. We find limited evidence of spillovers from student and teacher displacement on receiving schools. Altogether, the results indicate that cost-saving consolidations could be made while limiting harm to achievement when schools are closed in the vicinity of adequate alternatives.
Work in Progress
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School Consolidation, Electoral Accountability, and Policy Commitments
I ask whether school closure announcements in Puerto Rico change turnout and support for the governing party. I plan to link closure records to election returns and track what municipal candidates promise about transportation and support for students at their new schools.
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Democracy Vouchers and Candidate Policy Positions in Seattle
I study whether Seattle’s Democracy Voucher program changed the policies candidates campaigned on. I use language models to track positions in campaign pamphlets and distinguish shifts in returning candidates’ platforms from changes in who runs for office.
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Powering Data Centers: The Distributional Costs of Transmission Siting
Data centers can bring tax revenue to one community while the power lines that serve them cross several others. I compare approved transmission routes with alternatives of similar cost to ask whether rural and low-income communities host a larger share of the network.