DONDENA Seminar - Claudio Ferraz

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“Information and the Politics of School Quality: Evidence from a Nationwide Reform in Brazil” 

SPEAKER: Claudio Ferraz (University of British Columbia and PUC-Rio)

ABSTRACT: We use the introduction of a school-level accountability system in Brazil to estimate the effects of public information on school quality. Reports revealing that schools are high in the test score distribution increase the incumbent mayor’s vote share by about 2 percentage points. The revelation of low scores reduces incumbent mayor's vote share by roughly the same margin, but also causes investments in school inputs in subsequent years. These effects are larger in places with more educated voters.

BIO: Claudio Ferraz Professor of Economics at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia and adjunct professor at the Department of Economics of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). He is co-director of the Political Economy Network of LACEA and RIDGE, JPAL affiliate, a Research Associate at the NBER and BREAD, an honorary member of LACEA, and a fellow of the Econometric Society. His academic research focuses on economic development, political economy, and public economics. In particular, he studies governance and accountability in developing countries, as well as their consequences for politics and public service delivery.