In this paper, the influence of publicly available performance data on the improvement of the quality of master programmes in the Netherlands is researched. Using the theoretical framework of ...Show moreIn this paper, the influence of publicly available performance data on the improvement of the quality of master programmes in the Netherlands is researched. Using the theoretical framework of (quasi-)market competition, information provision/asymmetry, and choosing a provider, a theoretical argument will be crafted to explain how public performance data can improve the quality of an organization. Using fixed effects models on cross-sectional time-series panel data constructed by public data from the ‘Nationale Studenten Enquête’ and enrollment data from the VSNU this relationship will be researched to see whether students are responsive to study programmes with better evaluation scoring. The data shows that there is a significant effect between a better NSE score of a master programme and an increase in student enrollment. This effect ranges between 3.3% and 13.42%. However, with an R-squared between 0.001 and 0.006. Thus students are responsive to a better NSE score. This paper has both scientific and societal relevance because it contributes to the scientific debate on whether public performance data has the potential to increase the quality of an organization, and for policymakers, it is important to better understand how and if these information schemes work.Show less