Public policies toward private education: An international comparison

doi:10.1016/0883-0355(91)90019-O

International Journal of Educational Research

Volume 15, Issue 5, 1991, Pages 359-376

https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-0355(91)90019-O Get rights and content

Abstract

This chapter surveys the wide range of public policies toward private education that are found in a sample of 35 developed and developing countries. It investigates two major questions: What is the relationship between subsidies and private sector size? Are subsidies accompanied by controls and if so, over what? Empirical evidence shows that private educational sectors in developing countries tend to be less subsidized than those in developed countries; nevertheless, they are often very large. This chapter argues that private sectors can flourish in developing countries without subsidies because of excess demand, while subsidies are a necessary condition for large private sectors in developed countries, where a free public alternative usually exists.

Government controls over private schools are found even without subsidies. However, heavy controls invariably accompany subsidies, particularly over teacher salaries and qualifications, price and other entrance criteria. Large excess demand driven private sectors in developing countries have been criticized for their low quality, which is supposed to be raised by government regulations regarding organizational form and minimum input requirements. However, these interventions are often evaded by producers and consumers and, if not evaded, quality may come at the expense of quantity and efficiency.

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Part I: policies toward private education chapter 1Public policies toward private education: An international comparison

Abstract

The social origins of educational systems

Benefits and costs of privatized public services: Lessons from the Dutch educational system

Comparative Education Review

The public/private division of responsibility for education: An international comparison

Economics of Education Review

The nonprofit sector in comparative perspective

The political economy of private education in developing countries

Public policies toward private education

The private provision of public services: A comparison of Sweden and Holland

The nonprofit enterprise in market economies

Part I: policies toward private education chapter 1
Public policies toward private education: An international comparison