The Effect of Early-Childhood Education on Social Preferences

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cappelen, Alexander; List, John; Samek, Anya; Tungodden, Bertil
• 署名单位: Norwegian School of Economics (NHH); University of Chicago; Australian National University; National Bureau of Economic Research; University of Southern California
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-3808
• DOI: 10.1086/706858
• 发表日期: 2020
• 页码: 2739-2758
• 关键词: time-preferences; GENDER; competitiveness; MARKET; fairness; outcomes; GARP; KIDS

摘要

We present results from the first study to examine the causal impact of early-childhood education on the social preferences of children. We compare children who, at 3-4 years old, were randomized into either a full-time preschool, a parenting program, or a control group. We returned to the children when they reached 6-8 years of age and conducted a series of incentivized experiments to elicit their social preferences. We find that early-childhood education has a strong causal impact on social preferences. Our findings highlight the importance of taking a broad perspective when designing and evaluating early-childhood educational programs.