Young Researcher Workshop: Do Skills Beget Skills During Early Childhood? Evidence from a Cluster-randomized Parenting Experiment in Rural China

Do Skills Beget Skills During Early Childhood? Evidence from a Cluster-randomized Parenting Experiment in Rural China

Speaker: Boya Wang, Postdoctoral Research Scholar, Rural Education Action Program

This study utilizes data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a two-year, center-based parenting training program to investigate the technology of skill formation among 6 to 24 months (N = 1,666) in rural China. Results show that weekly parenting training on child psychosocial stimulation can significantly improve child cognitive skills by 0.11 SD and 0.18 SD after one and two years of intervention, respectively. The positive impact persisted for 2.5 years after program completion (0.13 SD). We find evidence of solid self- and cross-productivity in the formation of cognitive and noncognitive skills. In addition, analysis of children with high versus low early capability formation suggests dynamic complementarity between early cognitive skills and later productivity of investments in cognitive skills. Strong cognitive skill formation during the first two years of life also bolsters the persistence of good noncognitive skills during the third year of life. We find no evidence of dynamic complementarity between early noncognitive skill formation and the productivity of later parental investments in children’s skills. Hence, investment in cognitive skill formation during the first two years of life (e.g., via engagement in interactive caregiver-child play or story-telling activities) is key to enhance productivity of later investments and to bolster further human capital formation.

About the Workshops

The SCCEI Young Researcher Workshops are a bi-weekly series of presentations from scholars around campus who are working on issues related to China’s economy and institutions. The aim of the series is to bring together young scholars by providing a platform to present new research, get feedback, exchange ideas, and make connections. Each session features a single presenter who may present a new research plan, share results from preliminary data analyses, or do a trial run of a job talk or conference presentation. The Workshop Series is an opportunity to give and receive feedback on existing research, get to know other researchers around campus who are working on or in China, and be a testing ground for new ideas, data, and presentations.

Workshops are held every other Thursday from 1 - 2 pm. Afternoon refreshments will be provided! 

Visit the Young Researcher Workshops webpage for more information on the content and format of the series and to learn how to sign up to present.