Human Capital Development Before Age Five
142 Pages Posted: 22 Mar 2010 Last revised: 1 Apr 2023
Date Written: March 2010
Abstract
This chapter seeks to set out what Economists have learned about the effects of early childhood influences on later life outcomes, and about ameliorating the effects of negative influences. We begin with a brief overview of the theory which illustrates that evidence of a causal relationship between a shock in early childhood and a future outcome says little about whether the relationship in question biological or immutable. We then survey recent work which shows that events before five years old can have large long term impacts on adult outcomes. Child and family characteristics measured at school entry do as much to explain future outcomes as factors that labor economists have more traditionally focused on, such as years of education. Yet while children can be permanently damaged at this age, an important message is that the damage can often be remediated. We provide a brief overview of evidence regarding the effectiveness of different types of policies to provide remediation. We conclude with a list of some of (the many) outstanding questions for future research.
Hard-copy subscribers may access the tables for this paper here.
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?
Recommended Papers
-
Saving Babies: The Efficacy and Cost of Recent Expansions of Medicaid Eligibility for Pregnant Women
By Janet Currie and Jonathan Gruber
-
From the Cradle to the Labor Market? the Effect of Birth Weight on Adult Outcomes
By Sandra E. Black, Paul J. Devereux, ...
-
From the Cradle to the Labor Market? The Effect of Birth Weight on Adult Outcomes
By Sandra E. Black, Paul J. Devereux, ...
-
By Janet Currie and Enrico Moretti
-
By Douglas Almond, Kenneth Y. Chay, ...
-
By Janet Currie and Enrico Moretti
-
By Douglas Almond, Kenneth Y. Chay, ...
-
By Philip Oreopoulos, Mark Stabile, ...
-
By Dalton Conley, Kate Strully, ...
-
Health Endowments and Parental Investments in Infancy and Early Childhood
By Ashlesha Datar, Rebecca Kilburn, ...