Robustness to manipulations in school choice

The article delves into the robustness of school choice mechanisms against student manipulations, specifically examining mechanisms like the Boston and Deferred Acceptance mechanisms. It introduces a new criterion, 'robustness to manipulations,' which accounts for all information available to students and compares it with existing criteria such as PS-manipulability and AM-manipulability. The research finds that the new criterion offers a finer and more comprehensive comparison of mechanisms, highlighting differences that other criteria might miss. The study also evaluates the impact of recent reforms in school choice systems, demonstrating how the new criterion can be used to assess the effectiveness of these changes. The findings are particularly relevant for policymakers and researchers aiming to improve the fairness and efficiency of school choice mechanisms.