Does family income matter for schooling outcomes? Using adoptees as a natural experiment

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Plug, E; Vijverberg, W
• 署名单位: University of Amsterdam; University of Texas System; University of Texas Dallas
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2005.01023.x
• 发表日期: 2005
• 页码: 879-906
• 关键词: educational-attainment; childrens attainments; poverty; mothers

摘要

One would expect that family income is an important positive factor in children's school attainment. However, evidence is often tainted by the lack of control for parental ability, since at least a portion of ability is transferred genetically to children. This paper uses a sample of adopted children and offers genetically unbiased estimates. We further correct for biases arising from unobserved parenting qualities and from parents' differentiation between their own birth and adopted children. Family income still has a significant effect. It implies that high ability children in low income families face binding credit constraints that society may wish to relieve.