The Effects of High Stakes High School Achievement Awards: Evidence from a Randomized Trial
Name
AngristLavy_AERrevision2_FORMATTED.pdf
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383.66 KB
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Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
02f3628af0e8f953a9b870fdcc299de9
Author(s)
Angrist, Joshua
Lavy, Victor
Date Issued
2009
Journal
American Economic Review
Publisher
American Economic Association
Citation
Angrist, Joshua, and Victor Lavy. 2009. "The Effects of High Stakes High School Achievement Awards: Evidence from a Randomized Trial." American Economic Review, 99(4): 1384–1414.
Version
Author's final manuscript
Abstract
The Israeli matriculation certificate is a prerequisite for most postsecondary schooling. In a randomized trial, we attempted to increase certification rates among low-achievers with cash incentives. The experiment used a school-based randomization design offering awards to all who passed their exams in treated schools. This led to a substantial increase in certification rates for girls but had no effect on boys. Affected girls had a relatively high ex ante chance of certification. The increase in girls' matriculation rates translated into an increased likelihood of college attendance. Female matriculation rates increased partly because treated girls devoted extra time to exam preparation.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Economics
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
http://dx.doi.org/10.1257/aer.99.4.1384
