Barrera-Osorio, F, Carvajal, L.C., & Dustan, A. (2004) “The impact of Schools in Administration: Experimental Evidence from a Public-Private Partnership in Colombia”, unpublished manuscript.

Description: The Schools in Administration (SA) program facilitates the operation of 35 charter schools by private providers in low-income areas of Bogotá, Colombia. These schools are oversubscribed – more people want to attend them than the places available. Before 2022, the city allocated places based on a priority index that considered poverty, proximity, and vulnerability. Applicants with a higher index (e.g. poorer and closer) were given priority. There was no merit component. In 2022, the allocation process changed to a randomized process. The priority index was still formed, individuals were ordered by it, then adjacent applicants were paired, and one of each pair was randomly offered a place. This increased the chances of others in the priority index getting a spot, while still preserving the index.

Barrera-Osorio, F., Bonilla, L., Busso, M., Galiani, S., Kang, H., Muñoz-Morales, J., & Pantano, J. (2024) “Compensation vs. Reinforcement: Experimental Identification of Parental Aversion to Inequality in Offspring”, under production.