Geschwisterunterschiede im Privatschulbesuch und Einkommenseffekte zwischen und innerhalb von Haushalten

Despite the Sonderungsverbot, many studies find a substantial association between household income and private school attendance. However, it remains unclear whether this association is caused by unobserved differences between households or a causal income effect. In this study, we investigate sibling differences in private school attendance and the effect of income changes within households. On the one hand, this solves the problem of unobserved heterogeneity. On the other hand, it allows us to infer parental motivations for private school attendance. We find that there are twice as many households in which only some siblings attend private schools, as households in which all siblings attend private schools. Both cases are more common in high-income households. Furthermore, children are more likely to attend private schools than their siblings if they grew up during a period in which the household had a higher income, especially in households with a high permanent income. The effect size of income effects varies by the type of private school provider. These results suggest that the Sonderungsverbot is violated.