In a Small Moment: Class Size and Moral Hazard in the Italian Mezzogiorno

Erich Battistin (), Daniela Vuri () and Joshua Angrist

No 11666, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

Abstract: Instrumental variables (IV) estimates show strong class size effects in Southern Italy. But Italy’s Mezzogiorno is distinguished by manipulation of standardized test scores as well as by economic disadvantage. IV estimates suggest small classes increase manipulation. We argue that score manipulation is a consequence of teacher shirking. IV estimates of a causal model for achievement as function of class size and score manipulation show that class size effects on measured achievement are driven entirely by the relationship between class size and manipulation. These results show how consequential score manipulation can arise even in assessment systems with few accountability concerns.

Keywords: Test scores; Education production; Regression discontinuity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C26 C31 I21 I28 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ure
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://cepr.org/publications/DP11666 (application/pdf)
CEPR Discussion Papers are free to download for our researchers, subscribers and members. If you fall into one of these categories but have trouble downloading our papers, please contact us at subscribers@cepr.org

Related works:
Journal Article: In a Small Moment: Class Size and Moral Hazard in the Italian Mezzogiorno (2017)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:11666

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
https://cepr.org/publications/DP11666

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers Centre for Economic Policy Research, 33 Great Sutton Street, London EC1V 0DX.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().