@article{a0711f000a87436b9da374a7918339d5,
title = "Compulsory class attendance versus autonomy",
abstract = "We estimate the effect of an increased autonomy policy for higher-performing students on short- and longer-term school outcomes. We exploit an institutional setting with high demand for autonomy. Identification comes from a nationwide natural experiment that allowed higher-achieving students to miss 44 percent more classes with parental approval. Using a difference-in-difference-in-differences approach, we find that allowing higher-achieving students to skip more classes increases their performance in subjects that matter for university admission and improves the quality of their enrolled college degree. Top-performing students and students in more academically diverse classrooms demand more autonomy when it is offered.",
keywords = "Learning autonomy, Natural experiment, Returns to education, School attendance",
author = "Sofoklis Goulas and Silvia Griselda and Rigissa Megalokonomou",
note = "Funding Information: The authors wish to thank seminar participants at the University of Melbourne, the XXXI Annual Conference of the Italian Society of Public Economics, the Applied Econometrics Workshop at the University of Wellington, and the 6 th IZA Workshop on the Economics of Education. Any errors or omissions are our own. Silvia Griselda acknowledges financial support for this research from the University of Melbournes FBE Doctoral Program Scholarship. Funding Information: ☆ The authors wish to thank seminar participants at the University of Melbourne, the XXXI Annual Conference of the Italian Society of Public Economics, the Applied Econometrics Workshop at the University of Wellington, and the 6th IZA Workshop on the Economics of Education. Any errors or omissions are our own. Silvia Griselda acknowledges financial support for this research from the University of Melbournes FBE Doctoral Program Scholarship. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Elsevier B.V.",
year = "2023",
month = aug,
doi = "10.1016/j.jebo.2023.06.018",
language = "English",
volume = "212",
pages = "935--981",
journal = "Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization",
issn = "0167-2681",
publisher = "Elsevier",
}