Journal Publications
Early-Years Multi-Grade Classes and Pupil Attainment (jointly with Daniel Borbely, Markus Gehrsitz, Stuart McIntyre and Graeme Roy.) (Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, May 2023)
[Summary] Media Coverage: TES, SCADR Data Insights, BBC Scotland, The Times
Rurality, socio-economic disadvantage and educational mobility: a Scottish case study (jointly with Daniel Borbely, Markus Gehrsitz, Stuart McIntyre and Graeme Roy.) (British Educational Research Journal, September 2023)
Urban Regeneration Projects and Crime: Evidence from Glasgow (with Daniel Borbely). (Journal of Economic Geography, October 2023)
Working Papers
Permanent School Closures and Crime: Evidence from Scotland (jointly with Daniel Borbely, Markus Gehrsitz and Stuart McIntyre). Sheffield Economics Research Paper Series No. 2023021 , IZA Discussion Paper No. 16523 (JOB MARKET PAPER)
In this article we study the effects of permanent school closures on crime. We leverage the closure of over 300 schools in Scotland between the school years 2006/07 and 2018/19, and employ a staggered difference-in-differences design on a matched sample. We find that neighbourhoods affected by school closures experience a reduction in crime of about 9% of a standard deviation, relative to areas where schools remained open. This effect is mainly driven by a reduction in violent and property crimes. We provide evidence on several mechanisms explaining the negative crime effect, such as changes in neighbourhood composition and reductions in school-level segregation.
Does the Provision of Universal Free School Meals Improve School Attendance? (jointly with Daniel Borbely, Markus Gehrsitz and Stuart McIntyre) (Revision requested, Economics of Education Review). Previously released as Strathclyde Discussion Papers in Economics. No. 22 – 5, 2022.
The importance of universal free school meals (UFSM) provision has been the subject of significant debate over the past decade. In this study we examine the effect of UFSM policies on school attendance, health-related absence and students’ misbehaviour. We leverage UFSM implementation in Scotland where all pupils in the first three grades of primary schools became automatically entitled to claim free meals, regardless of their households’ financial circumstances. We estimate a difference-in-differences model with variation in treatment intensity and find, in spite of a large increase in uptakes, that attendance and school discipline have not improved significantly. These estimates are close to zero and precisely estimated. We also show that effect heterogeneity does not explain the null effect.
School Performance, Noncognitive Skills and House Prices. Strathclyde Discussion Papers in Economics. No. 21 – 2, 2021. Latest Version
This paper examines secondary school choice using data from property transactions that occurred between 2015 and 2018 in Scotland, as well as a rich panel of school characteristics. By exploiting discontinuity in attendance across catchment area boundaries, I provide credibly consistent estimates of house price premia for an array of school characteristics. In particular, whilst I show that house prices do not respond to school value-added, peers’ academic performance is well capitalised. I demonstrate that neither is this effect driven by differences in neighbourhood amenities nor by the presence of private schools. Moreover, I show that in this specific context school output is not multidimensional.
Work in Progress
Do catchment areas segregate neighbourhoods and schools? (Jointly with Elaine Drayton and Ellen Greaves)