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Research ArticleArticle
Open Access

Can Public Rankings Improve School Performance?

Evidence from a Nationwide Reform in Tanzania

Jacobus Cilliers, Isaac M. Mbiti and Andrew Zeitlin
Published online before print March 25, 2020, 0119-9969R1; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.56.3.0119-9969R1
Jacobus Cilliers
†Georgetown University;
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Isaac M. Mbiti
‡University of Virginia, J-PAL, BREAD, NBER, IZA;
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Andrew Zeitlin
§Georgetown University and Center for Global Development;
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Abstract

In 2013, Tanzania introduced “Big Results Now in Education”, a low-stakes accountability program that published both nationwide and within-district school rankings. Using data from the universe of school performance from 2011-2016, we identify the impacts of the reform using a difference-in-differences estimator that exploits the differential pressure exerted on schools at the bottom of their respective district rankings. We find that BRN improved learning outcomes for schools in the bottom two deciles of their districts. However, the program also led schools to strategically exclude students from the terminal year of primary school.

JEL Classification
  • I21
  • I25
  • I28
  • O15

This open access article is distributed under the terms of the CC-BY- NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) and is freely available online at: http://jhr.uwpress.org

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Journal of Human Resources: 58 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 58, Issue 3
1 May 2023
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Can Public Rankings Improve School Performance?
Jacobus Cilliers, Isaac M. Mbiti, Andrew Zeitlin
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2020, 0119-9969R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.56.3.0119-9969R1

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Can Public Rankings Improve School Performance?
Jacobus Cilliers, Isaac M. Mbiti, Andrew Zeitlin
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2020, 0119-9969R1; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.56.3.0119-9969R1
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Keywords

  • I21
  • I25
  • I28
  • O15
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