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What determines adult cognitive skills?: Impacts of preschooling, schooling, and post-schooling experiences in Guatemala

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Author Info
Behrman, Jere R.
Hoddinott, John
Maluccio, John A.
Soler-Hampejsek, Erica
Behrman, Emily L.
Martorell, Reynaldo
Ramírez-Zea, Manuel
Stein, Aryeh D.

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Abstract

"Most investigations into the importance and determinants of adult cognitive skills assume that (1) they are produced primarily by schooling, and (2) schooling is statistically predetermined or exogenous. This study uses longitudinal data collected in Guatemala over 35 years to investigate production functions for adult cognitive skills—that is, reading-comprehension skills and nonverbal cognitive skills—as being dependent on behaviorally determined preschooling, schooling, and post-schooling experiences. We use an indicator of whether the child was stunted (child height-for-age Z-score < –2) as our representation of preschooling experiences, and we use tenure in skilled occupations as our representation of post-schooling experiences. The results indicate that assumptions (1) and (2) lead to a substantial overemphasis on schooling and an underemphasis on pre- and post-schooling experiences. The magnitudes of the effects of these pre- and post-schooling experiences are large. For example, the impact on reading-comprehension scores of not being stunted at age 6 is equivalent to the impact of four grades of schooling. These findings also have other important implications. For example, they (1) reinforce the importance of early life investments; (2) point to limitations in using adult schooling to represent human capital in the cross-country growth literature; (3) support the importance of childhood nutrition and work complexity in explaining the “Flynn effect,” or the substantial increases in measured cognitive skills over time; and (4) lead to doubts about the interpretations of studies that report productivity impacts of cognitive skills without controlling for skill endogeneity." from authors' abstract

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Paper provided by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in its series IFPRI discussion papers with number 826.

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Date of creation: 2008
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Handle: RePEc:fpr:ifprid:826

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Related research
Keywords: Human capital; cognitive skills; Stunting; work experience; Development; Education; Gender; Health and nutrition;

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Full references

Cited by:
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  1. Cudjoe, Godsway & Breisinger, Clemens & Diao, Xinshen, 2008. "Local impacts of a global crisis: Food price transmission and poverty impacts in Ghana," IFPRI discussion papers 842, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  2. Mogues, Tewodaj, 2008. "A two-dimensional measure of polarization:," IFPRI discussion papers 837, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  3. Ruan, Jianqing & Zhang, Xiaobo, 2008. "Credit constraints, organizational choice, and returns to capital: Evidence from a rural industrial cluster in China," IFPRI discussion papers 830, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  4. Behrman, Jere R. & Murphy, Alexis & Quisumbing, Agnes & Ramakrishnan,Usha & Yount, Kathyrn, 2006. "What is the real impact of schooling on age of first union and age of first parenting ? New evidence from Guatemala," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4023, The World Bank. [Downloadable!]
  5. Dercon, Stefan & Gilligan, Daniel O. & Hoddinott, John & Woldehan, Tassew, 2008. "The impact of agricultural extension and roads on poverty and consumption growth in fifteen Ethiopian villages:," IFPRI discussion papers 840, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
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  6. Cororaton, Caesar B., 2008. "The Philippines: Shadow WTO Agricultural Domestic Support Notifications," IFPRI discussion papers 827, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  7. Gilligan, Daniel O. & Hoddinott, John & Taffesse, Alemayehu Seyoum, 2008. "The impact of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme and its linkages:," IFPRI discussion papers 839, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  8. John Maluccio & John Hoddinott, International Food Policy Research Institute & Jere R. Behrman, University of Pennsylvania & Reynaldo Martorell, Emory University & Agnes R. Quisumbing, International F, 2006. "The Impact of Nutrition during Early Childhood on Education among Guatemalan Adults," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0614, Middlebury College, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Yesuf, Mahmud & di Falco, Salvatore & Deressa, Temesgen & Ringler, Claudia & Kohlin, Gunnar, 2008. "The impact of climate change and adaptation on food production in low-income countries: Evidence from the Nile Basin, Ethiopia," IFPRI discussion papers 828, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
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  10. Bryan, Elizabeth & Akpalu, Wisdom & Yesuf, Mahmud & Ringler, Claudia, 2008. "Global carbon markets: Are there opportunities for Sub-Saharan Africa?," IFPRI discussion papers 832, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
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  11. Maluccio, John A. & Hoddinott, John & Behrman, Jere R. & Martorell, Reynaldo & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Stein, Aryeh D., 2006. "The impact of an experimental nutritional intervention in childhood on education among Guatemalan adults:," FCND discussion papers 207, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
  12. Akpalu, Wisdom & Hassan, Rashid M. & Ringler, Claudia, 2008. "Climate variability and maize yield in South Africa: Results from GME and MELE methods," IFPRI discussion papers 843, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). [Downloadable!]
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