Fundamental Determinants of School Efficiency and Equity: German States as a Microcosm for OECD Countries
CESifo, Munich, 2007
CESifo Working Paper No. 1981
![](https://cesifo.org/DocImg/cesifo1_wp1981.jpg?c=1689236839)
Cross-country evidence on student achievement might be hampered by omitted country characteristics such as language or legal differences. This paper uses cross-state variation in Germany, whose sixteen states share the same language and legal system, but pursue different education policies. The same results found previously across countries hold within Germany: Higher mean student performance is associated with central exams, private school operation, and socio-economic background, but not with spending, while higher equality of opportunity is associated with reduced tracking. In a model that pools German states with OECD countries, these fundamental determinants do not differ significantly between the two samples.
(also available as Program on Education Policy and Governance Research Paper PEPG 07-02, Harvard University)