Working Paper: NBER ID: w12840
Authors: Flavio Cunha; James Heckman
Abstract: This paper develops a model of skill formation that explains a variety of findings established in the child development and child intervention literatures. At its core is a technology that is stage-specific and that features self productivity, dynamic complementarity and skill multipliers. Lessons are drawn for the design of new policies to alleviate the consequences of the accident of birth that is a major source of human inequality.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: I38; J13; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Early childhood investments (J13) | Later outcomes (I12) |
| Early childhood investments (J13) | Follow-up investments (G11) |
| Follow-up investments (G11) | Later outcomes (I12) |
| Early remediation efforts (H84) | Adult outcomes for disadvantaged children (I24) |
| Later interventions (Y50) | Lower returns (G19) |
| Socioemotional skills (Z13) | Cognitive skills (G53) |
| Skills produced at one stage (J24) | Skills attained at later stages (Y80) |
| Dynamic complementarity in investment strategies (G11) | Better outcomes (I14) |