公立与私立学前班（及学校）的生产率：来自印度的证据
The Productivity of Public and Private Preschools (and Schools): Evidence from India
The Economic Journal · 2025 · [{"name": "Petter Berg", "affiliation": ["Stockholm School of Economics"]}, {"name": "Mauricio Romero", "affiliation": ["Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México", "Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab", "Hospital de Palamós"]}, {"name": "Abhijeet Singh", "affiliation": ["Stockholm School of Economics"]}]
中文摘要
摘要 我们利用来自泰米尔纳德邦 215 个村庄的面板数据，研究学前与小学阶段私立机构与公立机构的相对生产率。私立学前机构在数学和语言上的考试成绩增值更高（约 0.59–0.74 个标准差），且在几乎所有村庄中都优于政府提供者。这一生产率差异解释了入学前社会经济地位考试成绩差距的 60%。这些结果与小学阶段形成鲜明对比：在小学阶段，我们未发现私立部门在数学上存在溢价的证据，且在当地语言上发现了负向效应。在同一村庄内，私立与政府两类选择的考试成绩增值呈正相关，学前与小学阶段皆然。质量在不同阶段之间亦相关：拥有更高生产率小学的村庄，其学前机构的生产率往往也更高。我们的研究结果为如何实现全民基础技能的相关争论提供了依据，并凸显出改善低收入家庭可获得的学前机构质量的必要性。
Abstract
Abstract We study the relative productivity of private and public institutions at the preschool and primary school levels using panel data from 215 villages in Tamil Nadu. Private preschools show higher test score value-added in math and language (${\sim} 0.59 \!-\!0.74\sigma\!$) and outperform government providers in nearly all villages. This productivity difference explains 60% of the socioeconomic test score gap before school entry. These results contrast starkly with primary schooling, where we find no evidence of a private-sector premium in math and negative effects in local language. Test score value-added is positively correlated between private and government options in a village, both at the preschool and primary school levels. Quality is also correlated across levels; villages with more productive primary schools also tend to have more productive preschools. Our findings inform debates on achieving universal foundational skills and highlight the need to improve the quality of preschools available to lower-income families.