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Education and Adult Cognition in a Low-income Setting: Differences among Adult Siblings

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  • Yuan S. Zhang
  • Elizabeth Frankenberg
  • Duncan Thomas

Abstract

The relationship between completed education and adult cognition is investigated using data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey. We compare adult siblings to account for shared, difficult-to-measure characteristics that likely affect this relationship, including genetics and parental preferences and investments. After establishing the importance of shared family background factors, we document substantively large, significant impacts of education on cognition in models with sibling fixed effects. In contrast, the strong positive correlation between education and adult height is reduced to zero in models with sibling fixed effects, suggesting little contamination in the education-height association beyond factors common to siblings.

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  • Yuan S. Zhang & Elizabeth Frankenberg & Duncan Thomas, 2024. "Education and Adult Cognition in a Low-income Setting: Differences among Adult Siblings," NBER Working Papers 32362, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32362
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    1. Nunnari, Salvatore & Proto, Eugenio & Rustichini, Aldo, 2024. "Cognitive Abilities and the Demand for Bad Policy," CEPR Discussion Papers 19217, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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