Universal Early Childhood Education and Adolescent Risky Behavior

Arbeitspapier

The evidence for the effects of early childhood education on risky behavior in adolescence is limited. This paper studies the consequences of a reform of a large-scale universal kindergarten program in Japan. Exploiting a staggered expansion of kindergartens across regions, we estimate the effects of the reform using an event study model. Our estimates indicate that the reform significantly reduced juvenile violent arrests and the rate of teenage pregnancy, but we do not find that the reform increased the high school enrolment rate. We suspect that improved non-cognitive skills can account for the reduction of risky behavior in adolescence.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CReAM Discussion Paper Series ; No. 18/22

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; National Government Expenditures and Education ; Education and Research Institutions: General ; Education: Government Policy ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity ; Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior: General
• Subject: early childhood education ; crime ; teenage pregnancy

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Ando, Michihito ; Mori, Hiroaki ; Yamaguchi, Shintaro
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Centre for Research & Analysis of Migration (CReAM), Department of Economics, University College London
• (where): London
• (when): 2022

Further information

• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET