Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP8523
Authors: Christina Felfe; Michael Lechner; Andreas Steinmayr
Abstract: Despite the relevance of cognitive and non-cognitive skills for professional success, their formation is not yet fully understood. This study fills part of this gap by analyzing the role of sports club participation, one of the most popular extra-curricular activities, on children?s skill development. Our results indicate positive effects: school performance improves by 0.20 standard deviations and overall non-cognitive skills by 0.09 standard deviations. The results are robust when using alternative datasets as well as alternative estimation and identification strategies. The effects can be partially explained by increased physical activities replacing passive leisure activities.
Keywords: Noncognitive skills; Physical activity; Semiparametric estimation; Skill formation
JEL Codes: J12; J13; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| sports club participation (Z20) | school performance (D29) |
| sports club participation (Z20) | noncognitive skills (G53) |
| sports club participation (Z20) | emotional problems (D91) |
| sports club participation (Z20) | peer problems (C92) |
| sports club participation (Z20) | physical activity levels (I14) |
| physical activity levels (I14) | school performance (D29) |
| physical activity levels (I14) | noncognitive skills (G53) |
| sports club participation (Z20) | skill development (J24) |