Optimal Top- n Policy

36 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2022

See all articles by Isa Emin Hafalir

Isa Emin Hafalir

University of Technology Sydney (UTS); Carnegie Mellon University - David A. Tepper School of Business

Siqi Pan

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics

Kentaro Tomoeda

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) - Department of Economics

Date Written: December 26, 2021

Abstract

The efficacy of the widely-adopted “top-n” policy in university integration has been questioned because students strategically relocate to low-achieving high schools. We show that when different SES groups have heterogenous relocation costs, the policy can even segregate minorities from the target university, compared to the school-blind policy. A suitably chosen eligibility requirement, featuring the minimum time students must spend at a high school in order to be eligible for top-n admissions, can restore the efficacy of this policy. However, the most stringent requirement is not always optimal. The optimal requirement depends on the original distribution of students across high schools.

Keywords: top-n policy, college admissions, integration, segregation

JEL Classification: D47, C78, I24

Suggested Citation

Hafalir, Isa Emin and Pan, Siqi and Tomoeda, Kentaro, Optimal Top- n Policy (December 26, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3993855 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3993855

Isa Emin Hafalir

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) ( email )

15 Broadway, Ultimo
PO Box 123
Sydney, NSW 2007
Australia

Carnegie Mellon University - David A. Tepper School of Business ( email )

5000 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
United States

Siqi Pan

University of Melbourne - Department of Economics ( email )

Melbourne, 3010
Australia

Kentaro Tomoeda (Contact Author)

University of Technology Sydney (UTS) - Department of Economics ( email )

Sydney
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/site/kentarotomoeda/

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