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  5. Understanding the Mechanisms through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes

American Economic Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

Understanding the Mechanisms through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes

  • James Heckman
  • Rodrigo Pinto
  • Peter Savelyev
American Economic Review
vol. 103, no. 6, October 2013
(pp. 2052–86)
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Abstract

A growing literature establishes that high quality early childhood interventions targeted toward disadvantaged children have substantial impacts on later life outcomes. Little is known about the mechanisms producing these impacts. This paper uses longitudinal data on cognitive and personality skills from an experimental evaluation of the influential Perry Preschool program to analyze the channels through which the program boosted both male and female participant outcomes. Experimentally induced changes in personality skills explain a sizable portion of adult treatment effects.

Citation

Heckman, James, Rodrigo Pinto, and Peter Savelyev. 2013. "Understanding the Mechanisms through Which an Influential Early Childhood Program Boosted Adult Outcomes." American Economic Review 103 (6): 2052–86. DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.6.2052

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • I21 Analysis of Education
  • I24 Education and Inequality
  • I28 Education: Government Policy
  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity