The Political Economy of State and Local Investment in Pre-K Programs

30 Pages Posted: 26 May 2015 Last revised: 14 Jun 2023

See all articles by Matthew E. Kahn

Matthew E. Kahn

University of Southern California; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Kyle Barron

National Bureau of Economic Research

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 2015

Abstract

The expansion of access to publicly provided pre-kindergarten bundles together redistribution to the poor with an early human capital investment. Financing publicly provided pre-K investment is mainly a state and local issue. Which voters favor local pre-K expansion? This paper uses several new data sets to describe the circumstances such that local voters reveal a willingness to spend on an early intervention that may not yield direct benefits for them. Republican voters consistently oppose the expansion of publicly provided pre-K. Suburban voters also tend to oppose such investment. We explore several possible explanations for these facts.

Suggested Citation

Kahn, Matthew E. and Barron, Kyle, The Political Economy of State and Local Investment in Pre-K Programs (May 2015). NBER Working Paper No. w21208, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2610505

Matthew E. Kahn (Contact Author)

University of Southern California ( email )

2250 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089
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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Kyle Barron

National Bureau of Economic Research ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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