Can Mentoring Alleviate Family Disadvantage in Adolescence? A Field Experiment to Improve Labor Market Prospects

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Resnjanskij, Sven; Ruhose, Jens; Wiederhold, Simon; Woessmann, Ludger; Wedel, Katharina
• 署名单位: University of Konstanz; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; University of Kiel; IZA Institute Labor Economics; Leibniz Association; Leibniz Institut fur Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH); Ifo Institut; Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg; IZA Institute Labor Economics; University of Munich; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; University of Munich; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-3808
• DOI: 10.1086/726905
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 1013-1062
• 关键词: Skills; education; returns; INEQUALITY; EQUALITY; outcomes; balance; schools; IMPACT; youth

摘要

We study a mentoring program that aims to improve the labor market prospects of disadvantaged adolescents. Our randomized controlled trial investigates its effectiveness on three outcomes highly predictive of later labor market success: math grades, patience/social skills, and labor market orientation. For low-SES (socioeconomic status) adolescents, the mentoring increases a combined index of the outcomes by over half a standard deviation after 1 year, with significant increases in each outcome. Effects on grades and labor market orientation, but not on patience/social skills, persist 3 years after program start. By that time, the mentoring also improves early realizations of school-to-work transitions for low-SES adolescents. The mentoring is not effective for higher-SES adolescents.