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Title: Voting for Free Public Schools
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2012
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Abstract: When do voters choose to fully fund education through taxation? This paper examines theories of public provision, in particular focusing on the role of political power of the poor, rising incomes, and the external benefits of education. In the early 1800s, common schools in New York were funded through a combination of public funds and private tuition charges, much as in other states at the time. Private charges were sizable--about 60 percent of common school revenues in 1830 and 37 percent in 1850. In 1849 and 1850, New York held two direct voter referenda over an act requiring all public schools to be free of tuition charges. This paper tests theories of public provision using county level variation in private tuition charges, the relationship between subsidies and attendance, and direct voter support for free schools. The findings indicate a reversal of the effect of inequality over this period. The econometric results suggest that there may not be a uniform relationship between inequality and public funding, but one that is dependent on both political institutions and the external benefits of education.
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Authors: Stoddard, Christiana
Publisher: Montana State University
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Education
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