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The effect of early childhood education and care services on the social integration of refugee families

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  • Gambaro, Ludovica
  • Neidhöfer, Guido
  • Spieß, Christa Katharina

Abstract

Devising appropriate policy measures for the integration of refugees is high on the agenda of many governments. This paper focuses on the social integration of families seeking asylum in Germany between 2013 and 2016. Exploiting regional differences in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services as an exogenous source of variation, and controlling for local level heterogeneity that could drive the results, we estimate the effect of ECEC attendance by refugee children on their parents' integration. We find a significant and substantial positive effect, in particular on the social integration of mothers. The size of the estimate is on average around 52% and is particularly strong for improved language proficiency and employment prospects.

Suggested Citation

  • Gambaro, Ludovica & Neidhöfer, Guido & Spieß, Christa Katharina, 2020. "The effect of early childhood education and care services on the social integration of refugee families," ZEW Discussion Papers 20-044, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:20044
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    asylum seekers; refugees; childcare; early education; integration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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