Abstract:
Publicly funded school choice is examined as a form of education public-private partnership (PPP), with cross-national differences interpreted through institutional design rather than private provision alone. A novel theoretical framework derives two indicators - alignment and coherence - from a formal utility-theoretic model of PPP maturity, applied here for the first time to education. Across seven systems, the results reveal substantial differences in how competition, autonomy, accountability, and information are jointly structured. The findings highlight institutional architecture and complementarity as central to the design of effective education PPPs.
