Early Childhood Human Capital and Development

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Schoellman, Todd
• 署名单位: Arizona State University; Arizona State University-Tempe
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-MACROECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7707
• DOI: 10.1257/mac.20150117
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 145-174
• 关键词: socioeconomic outcomes; AGE; education; GROWTH; CHILDREN; HEALTH; determinants; TECHNOLOGY; refugees; earnings

摘要

A growing literature stresses the importance of early childhood human capital. I ask whether variation in early childhood investments can help explain cross-country income differences. I provide new empirical evidence: the adult outcomes of refugees are independent of age at arrival to the United States up to age six, despite dramatic improvements in income and environment upon arrival. A standard model is consistent with this finding if parents but not country are important for early childhood development. This finding limits the mechanisms for generating cross-country early childhood human capital differences. I also provide suggestive evidence on parental inputs.