2022/04/05 by Kehinde F. Ajayi · 53 citations
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Business #Demographic economics #Economics #Local Government Finance and Decentralization #Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare #Psychology #School Choice and Performance
paper · pdf · doi:10.3368/jhr.0417-8714r2
published in The Journal of Human Resources 59(4), 1207-1243 (University of Wisconsin Press)
openalex publication_date 2022/04/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Merit-based school choice often presents an unfulfilled promise of educational mobility. In Ghana, where a standardized exam determines secondary school admission, students from low-performing elementary schools apply to weaker secondary schools than equally qualified students from high-performing elementary schools. This paper investigates why students with the same academic potential make different application choices. I outline a theoretical model and empirical strategy to analyze heterogeneity in student demand. Using administrative data, I show that disadvantaged students value school proximity more and live farther away from high-performing schools, suggesting the interaction between demand and the spatial distribution of schools limits educational mobility.