Robust Inequality of Opportunity Comparisons: Theory and Application to Early Childhood Policy Evaluation
提出一个稳健标准来评估机会均等化，该标准与机会平等的理论观点一致，并用于评估挪威一项重大儿童保育改革的效果，发现改革促进了儿童间的机会均等化。
This paper develops a criterion to assess equalization of opportunity that is consistent with theoretical views of equality of opportunity. We characterize inequality of opportunity as a situation where some groups in society enjoy an illegitimate advantage. In this context, equalization of opportunity requires that the extent of the illegitimate advantage enjoyed by the privileged groups falls. Robustness requires that this judgement be supported by the broadest class of individual preferences. We formalize this criterion in a decision theoretic framework, and derive an empirical condition for equalization of opportunity based on observed opportunity distributions. The criterion is used to assess the effectiveness of child care at equalizing opportunity among children, using quantile treatment effects estimates of a major child care reform in Norway. Overall, we find strong evidence supporting equalization of opportunity.\n© 2018 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (MIT Press)