Preschool Education in Brazil: Does Public Supply Crowd Out Private Enrollment?

29 Pages Posted: 15 Dec 2013

See all articles by Paulo Bastos

Paulo Bastos

World Bank; Technical University of Lisbon (UTL) - Research Unit on Complexity and Economics (UECE); ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management,Universidade de Lisboa

Odd Rune Straume

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute); University of Minho - Economic Policies Research Unit (NIPE)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 2013

Abstract

This paper examines whether an expansion in the supply of public preschool crowds out private enrollment, using rich data for municipalities in Brazil from 2000-2006, where federal transfers to local governments change discontinuously with given population thresholds. Results from a regression-discontinuity design reveal that larger federal transfers lead to a significant expansion of local public preschool services, but show no effects on the quantity or quality of private provision. These findings are consistent with a theory in which households differ in willingness to pay for preschool services, and private suppliers optimally adjust prices in response to an expansion of lower-quality, free-of-charge public supply.

JEL Classification: D12, I21, I28, L21, O15

Suggested Citation

Bastos, Paulo and Straume, Odd Rune and Straume, Odd Rune, Preschool Education in Brazil: Does Public Supply Crowd Out Private Enrollment? (November 2013). IDB Working Paper No. IDB-WP-463, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2367707 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2367707

Technical University of Lisbon (UTL) - Research Unit on Complexity and Economics (UECE) ( email )

Rua Miguel Lupi, 20
Lisboa, 1200-781
Portugal

ISEG Lisbon School of Economics and Management,Universidade de Lisboa ( email )

Rua do Quelhas 6
LISBOA, 1200-781
Portugal

Odd Rune Straume

University of Minho - Economic Policies Research Unit (NIPE) ( email )

Campus de Gualtar
Braga, 4710-057
Portugal

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

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