A Multi-Phase School Choice Mechanism: Theory and Practice

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: We study aspects of a multi-phase school choice system used to allocate students to primary schools (first to sixth grade) in Singapore. We first examine the institutional objectives and contextual constraints of the market. Using interviews and public sources, we then present evidence of strategic decision-making by parents, and outline common considerations they face. We then introduce a novel theoretical model of a sequential matching mechanism, and analyze its performance under uncertainty. We find that the sequential nature of the mechanism may permit equilibrium welfare improvements for students when compared to the static Boston Mechanism. However, we also find that in some important respects (e.g. stability of equilibrium outcomes), such a system may be less desirable than a slot-specific Deferred Acceptance mechanism, a variant of Deferred Acceptance that allows for quotas. We use empirical evidence to demonstrate, using a Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) inspired approach, that many parents use prior year's application information in strategic decision-making. We make partial progress towards additional empirical questions, such as explaining a spike in unassigned students in 2020. Finally, we use our data to provide recommendations for students and parents in their decision-making process.

Author	Lee, Arthur
Degree granting institution	Stanford University
Thesis advisor	Roth, Alvin

DOI	https://doi.org/10.25740/gx936vb5818
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/gx936vb5818

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC).

Preferred citation: Lee, A. and Stanford University (2022). A Multi-Phase School Choice Mechanism: Theory and Practice. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/gx936vb5818

Stanford University, Department of Economics, Honors Theses

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