Public Primary School Eligibility Restriction
Observational StudyReview
Universal voucher eligibility risks subsidizing affluent families or students already enrolled in private primary schools, diluting government poverty targeting goals.
Picture this
Think of a food assistance voucher that requires applicants to show receipts proving they previously relied on public soup kitchens. This prevents wealthy individuals who buy organic groceries from using government assistance intended for vulnerable populations.
What the evidence says
Restricting voucher eligibility to graduates of public primary schools ensured that public funding successfully targeted low-income households, with 53.5% of applicants coming from the poorest tier of Bogotá neighborhoods.
- Who was studied
- N = 125,000 human secondary school voucher recipients in low-income neighborhoods in Colombia.
- How
- Administrative policy evaluation analyzing eligibility rules restricting applications to public primary school graduates in socioeconomic strata 1 and 2.
What to do
Restrict secondary school voucher eligibility exclusively to graduates of public primary schools to ensure public subsidies benefit low-income populations.
From the source
"In addition, vouchers were only available to students attending public primary schools."
Are Educational Vouchers Only Redistributive?