An Evaluation of Instrumental Variable Strategies for Estimating the Effects of Catholic Schools

38 Pages Posted: 6 Dec 2002 Last revised: 29 Jul 2022

See all articles by Joseph G. Altonji

Joseph G. Altonji

Yale University - Economic Growth Center; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Yale University - Cowles Foundation

Todd E. Elder

Michigan State University

Christopher Taber

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); University of Wisconsin - Madison

Date Written: December 2002

Abstract

Several previous studies have relied on religious affiliation and the proximity to Catholic schools as exogenous sources of variation for identifying the effect of Catholic schooling on a wide variety of outcomes. Using three separate approaches, we examine the validity of these instrumental variables. We find that none of the candidate instruments is a useful source of identification of the Catholic school effect, at least in currently available data sets

Suggested Citation

Altonji, Joseph G. and Elder, Todd E. and Taber, Christopher R., An Evaluation of Instrumental Variable Strategies for Estimating the Effects of Catholic Schools (December 2002). NBER Working Paper No. w9358, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=359843

Joseph G. Altonji (Contact Author)

Yale University - Economic Growth Center ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Yale University - Cowles Foundation

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Todd E. Elder

Michigan State University ( email )

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Christopher R. Taber

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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University of Wisconsin - Madison ( email )

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