Can't Buy Mommy's Love? Universal Childcare and Children's Long-Term Cognitive Development
Journal
Journal of Population Economics
ISSN
0933-1433
ISSN-Digital
1432-1475
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2014-10-29
Author(s)
Abstract
What happens to children's long-run cognitive development when introducing universal high-quality childcare for 3-year-olds mainly crowds out family care? To answer this question, we take advantage of a sizeable expansion of publicly subsidized full-time high-quality childcare for 3-year-olds in Spain in the early 1990s. Identification relies on variation in the initial speed of the expansion of childcare slots across states. Using a difference-in-difference approach, we find strong evidence for sizeable improvements in children's reading skills at age 15 (0.15 standard deviation) and weak evidence for a reduction in grade retentions during primary school (2.5 percentage points). The effects are driven by girls and disadvantaged children.
Language
English
Keywords
universal high-quality childcare
long-term consequences
cognitive skills
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
HSG Profile Area
SEPS - Economic Policy
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
Springer
Publisher place
Berlin
Number
forthcoming
Start page
1
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
219049
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
FelfeNollenbergerRodrigeuz_JPop.pdf
Size
463.98 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
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