Essays & News

  Abstract In 1992, Sweden went from a highly centralized school system where almost everybody was enrolled in government-operated schools and private alternatives were almost non-existent to one where parents/students could choose between different public schools and – through a voucher system – also among approved private schools. The “independent schools” as the privately operated […]

  It is often assumed that governments should provide, regulate and finance education. There are several economic arguments put forward to support this premise: that education is a public good, a merit good, has beneficial externalities to a population and children need protecting from irresponsible parents. But even if all these economic arguments hold true […]

  School choice – allowing public funding to go to privately operated educational options chosen by parents, versus going only to assigned schools created and controlled by government – is an international phenomenon. Many countries have adopted choice to varying degrees to defuse religious conflicts. Others have sought free-market efficacy. Many have seen free-market education […]

  Mit der Regelmässigkeit eines Schweizer Uhrwerks kehrt sie wieder, die öffentliche Empörung über die schockierend schlechten Pisa-Ergebnisse im deutschsprachigen Raum. In der Schweiz, in Deutschland und in Österreich zeigen die Pisa-Erhebungen bereits über viele Jahre hinweg immer dasselbe ramponierte Bild. In der Schweiz erreichen 19 Prozent der 15-Jährigen die von der OECD beschriebenen Mindestanforderungen […]

  Abstract Argentina has exported very few positive news in the last century, if any. Headlines at the international press would every now and then point to a new economic crisis, high inflation, devaluation of the currency and political turmoil. Although a middle-income country, it used to be among the top countries at the start […]