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Relative Age Effect on European Adolescents’ Social Network

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  • Fumarco, Luca
  • Baert, Stijn

Abstract

We contribute to the literature on relative age effects on pupils’ (non-cognitive) skills formation by studying students’ social network. We investigate data on European adolescents from the Health Behaviour in School Aged Children survey and use an instrumental variables approach to account for endogeneity of relative age while controlling for confounders, namely absolute age, season-of-birth, and family socio-economic status. We find robust evidence that suggests the existence of a substitution effect: the youngest students within a class e-communicate more frequently than relatively older classmates but have fewer friends and meet with them less frequently.

Suggested Citation

  • Fumarco, Luca & Baert, Stijn, 2018. "Relative Age Effect on European Adolescents’ Social Network," MPRA Paper 89966, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:89966
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    Cited by:

    1. Fumarco, L. & Baert, S. & Sarracino, F., 2020. "Younger, dissatisfied, and unhealthy – Relative age in adolescence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 37(C).
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    3. Fumarco Luca & Carlsson Magnus & Gibbs Benjamin G., 2020. "Erasmus Exchange Program – A Matter of (Relatively) Older Students," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 20(4), pages 1-14, October.
    4. Luca Fumarco & Sven Hartmann & Francesco Principe, 2024. "A neglected determinant of eating behaviors: Relative age," IAAEU Discussion Papers 202403, Institute of Labour Law and Industrial Relations in the European Union (IAAEU).
    5. Tushar Bharati & Thea Harpley Green, 2021. "Age at school transition and children’s cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 21-06, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    6. By Stijn Baert & Brecht Neyt & Eddy Omey & Dieter Verhaest, 2022. "Student work during secondary education, educational achievement, and later employment: a dynamic approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 1605-1635, September.
    7. Alar Urruticoechea & Andrés Oliveri & Elena Vernazza & Marta Giménez-Dasí & Rosario Martínez-Arias & Javier Martín-Babarro, 2021. "The Relative Age Effects in Educational Development: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-12, August.
    8. Baert, Stijn & Neyt, Brecht & Omey, Eddy & Verhaest, Dieter, 2017. "Student Work, Educational Achievement, and Later Employment: A Dynamic Approach," IZA Discussion Papers 11127, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Peña, Pablo A., 2020. "Relative age and investment in human capital," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

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    Keywords

    Relative age; adolescents; education; Europe; social network;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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