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The Intergenerational Effect of Forcible Assimilation Policy on Education

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Abstract

For nearly a century, the Canadian government separated Indigenous children from their families and placed them in live-in institutions known as residential schools. Many speculate that this policy contributes to the struggles Indigenous children face today. Using a unique confidential data set, I identify the effects of a mother attending a residential school on her children. I find that children whose mother attended residential school fare better along health dimensions and yet worse along educational dimensions. I provide suggestive evidence that these findings are due to residential schooling impacting parenting style and parental attitudes towards education.

Suggested Citation

  • Donna Feir, 2015. "The Intergenerational Effect of Forcible Assimilation Policy on Education," Department Discussion Papers 1501, Department of Economics, University of Victoria.
  • Handle: RePEc:vic:vicddp:1501
    Note: ISSN 1914-2838
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    File URL: https://www.uvic.ca/socialsciences/economics/_assets/docs/discussion/DDP1501.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Donna L. Feir, 2016. "The long‐term effects of forcible assimilation policy: The case of Indian boarding schools," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 49(2), pages 433-480, May.
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    11. Donna Feir, 2013. "Size, Structure, and Change: Exploring the Sources of Aboriginal Earnings Gaps in 1995 and 2005," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 39(2), pages 309-334, June.
    12. Barrera, Albino, 1990. "The role of maternal schooling and its interaction with public health programs in child health production," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 69-91, January.
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    14. Lindeboom, Maarten & Llena-Nozal, Ana & van der Klaauw, Bas, 2009. "Parental education and child health: Evidence from a schooling reform," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 109-131, January.
    15. Case, Anne & Fertig, Angela & Paxson, Christina, 2005. "The lasting impact of childhood health and circumstance," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 365-389, March.
    16. Philip Oreopoulos & Marianne E. Page & Ann Huff Stevens, 2003. "Does Human Capital Transfer from Parent to Child? The Intergenerational Effects of Compulsory Schooling," NBER Working Papers 10164, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Janet Currie & Enrico Moretti, 2003. "Mother's Education and the Intergenerational Transmission of Human Capital: Evidence from College Openings," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 118(4), pages 1495-1532.
    18. Kaspar, V., 2014. "The lifetime effect of residential school attendance on indigenous health status," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 104(11), pages 2184-2190.
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    Cited by:

    1. Krishna Pendakur & Ravi Pendakur, 2018. "The Effects of Modern Treaties and Opt-In Legislation on Household Incomes in Aboriginal Communities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 139-165, May.
    2. Don Drummond & Evan Capeluck & Matthew Calver, 2015. "The Key Challenge for Canadian Public Policy: Generating Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth," CSLS Research Reports 2015-11, Centre for the Study of Living Standards.
    3. Bukowski, Paweł, 2018. "How history matters for student performance: lessons from the Partitions of Poland," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 90643, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education; Stature; Attitudes; Intergenerational; Indigenous Peoples;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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