ERIC Number: ED672644
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Apr
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Abstractor: As Provided
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Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Political Consequences of Controversial Education Reform: Lessons from Wisconsin's Act 10. Working Paper 33666
Barbara Biasi; Wayne Aaron Sandholtz
National Bureau of Economic Research
Public service reforms often provoke political backlash. Can they also yield political benefits for the politicians who champion them? We study a Wisconsin law that weakened teachers' unions and liberalized pay, prompting mass protests. Exploiting its staggered implementation across school districts, we find that the reform cut union revenues, raised student test scores, and increased pay for some teachers. Exposure to the law increased the incumbent governor's vote share by about 20% of his margin of victory and reduced campaign contributions to his opponent. Gains were larger in districts with stronger unions ex ante and in those where more voters benefited from the reform. Our findings highlight how even politically risky reforms can generate electoral benefits under the right circumstances. [This work was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia and Social Sciences -- DataLab POR Lisboa and POR Norte (Social Sciences DataLab.]
Descriptors: Educational Change, State Legislation, Educational Legislation, Unions, Politics of Education, Teacher Salaries
National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
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Language: English
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Authoring Institution: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Identifiers - Location: Wisconsin
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