The Effect of Early-Childhood Education on Social Preferences

Alexander W. Cappelen; John A. List; Anya Samek; Bertil Tungodden

doi:10.1086/706858

Journal of Political Economy Vol. 128 No. 7 2020

The Effect of Early-Childhood Education on Social Preferences

Alexander W. Cappelen¹; John A. List^2,3,4; Anya Samek^5,3,6; Bertil Tungodden¹

¹ Norwegian School of Economics · ² Australian National University · ³ National Bureau of Economic Research · ⁴ University of Chicago · ⁵ University of Southern California · ⁶ California Southern University

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Abstract

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.

DOI: 10.1086/706858
Volume: 128
Issue: 7
Pages: 2739-2758
Language: en
Sources: bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

The Effect of Early-Childhood Education on Social Preferences

Abstract

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