International differences in educational equity: An assessment using the Benefit of the Doubt model

Educational equity is a key tool to promote countries’ social and economic development and has become a central issue in international policy agendas. Since equity is multidimensional in nature and a complex process, a proper assessment of performance in terms of equity is a demanding task that requires aggregating several individual indicators to obtain a synthetic and simplified vision. This research aim to fill this gap by providing a synthetic measure to carry out a comprehensive and fair comparison of the degree of equity of the OECD educational systems. In particular, we use a robust directional Benefit of the Doubt (BoD) model to construct an Equity Composite Indicator, which allows us to benchmark the OECD educational systems in terms of equity based on a single criterion, considering its multiple dimensions and respecting the different priorities and particularities of the educational systems. The results find significant differences in equity among OECD educational systems. Furthermore, the empirical analysis reinforces the hypothesis that educational equity is a multidimensional concept, requiring the inclusion of all dimensions in the comparative analysis. This research provides a new approach that can be used not only to assess the evolution of educational equity across countries, but also to model its relationship with other economic variables. The proposed model could be useful in helping policymakers understand and improve educational equity in practice, as well as evaluate the impact of public policies. • We built up a composite indicator to compare education systems in terms of equity. • The BoD model assigns specific weights for each educational system. • Inequity in education in LAC countries is driven by school segregation. • Educational equity between regions is more uneven than between countries. • Omitting contextual variables in cross-country comparisons lead to unfair results.