Working Paper: NBER ID: w17235
Authors: Ilyana Kuziemko
Abstract: I develop a model in which a child's acquisition of a given form of human capital incentivizes adults in his household to either learn from him (if children act as teachers then adults' cost of learning the skill falls) or lean on him (if children's human capital substitutes for that of adults in household production then adults' benefit of learning the skill falls). I exploit regional variation in two shocks to children's human capital and examine the effect on adults. The rapid introduction of primary education for black children in the South during Reconstruction not only increased literacy of children but also of adults living in the same household ("learning" outweighs "leaning"). Conversely, the 1998 introduction of English immersion in California public schools appears to have increased the English skills of children but discouraged adults living with them from acquiring the language ("leaning" outweighs "learning"). Whether family members learn from or lean on each other has implications for the externalities associated with education policies.
Keywords: Human Capital; Education Policy; Family Spillovers
JEL Codes: H23; I2; I28; J12; J13; J24
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| introduction of formal education for black children during the Reconstruction era (A21) | increased literacy among adults living with literate children (I24) |
| living with a school-age child in a county with high child literacy rates (I21) | increased likelihood of adult literacy (I24) |
| children's English skills improvement (I25) | decreased motivation for adults to acquire English proficiency (J26) |