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The Impact of a Prototypical Home Visiting Program on Child Skills

Author

Listed:
  • Jin Zhou

    (Columbia UniversityAuthor-Name: James J. Heckman
    The University of Chicago)

  • Bei Liu

    (China Development Research Foundation)

  • LU Mai

    (China Development Research Foundation)

Abstract

This paper develops a new framework for estimating the causal impacts on child skills and the mechanisms producing these impacts using data from a randomized control study of a widely evaluated early-childhood home visiting program. We show the feasibility of replicating the program at scale. We report estimates from standard procedures for reporting treatment effects as unweighted averages item scores and compare them with estimates adjusting for item difficulties. Such adjustments produce more interpretable estimates. We go beyond treatment effects and estimate individual-specific latent skills, comparing treatment and control skills and their impacts on test scores.

Suggested Citation

  • Jin Zhou & Bei Liu & LU Mai, 2020. "The Impact of a Prototypical Home Visiting Program on Child Skills," Working Papers 2020-047, Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group.
    • Handle: RePEc:hka:wpaper:2020-047
    Note: ECI
    as

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    File URL: http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Heckman_Liu_Lu_etal_2020_treatment-effects-measurement-skills-home-visiting.pdf
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    File URL: http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Heckman_Liu_Lu_etal_2020_impact-prototypical-home-visiting-on-skills.pdf
    File Function: Second version, January 2, 2024
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    File URL: http://cehd.uchicago.edu/china-reach_home-visiting_appendix
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Mingli & Fernández-Val, Iván & Weidner, Martin, 2021. "Nonlinear factor models for network and panel data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 220(2), pages 296-324.
    2. A. Colin Cameron & Jonah B. Gelbach & Douglas L. Miller, 2008. "Bootstrap-Based Improvements for Inference with Clustered Errors," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 90(3), pages 414-427, August.
    3. Esfandiar Maasoumi & Le Wang, 2019. "The Gender Gap between Earnings Distributions," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 127(5), pages 2438-2504.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Samuel Berlinski & Maria Marta Ferreyra & Luca Flabbi & Juan David Martin, 2024. "Childcare Markets, Parental Labor Supply, and Child Development," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(6), pages 2113-2177.
    2. Jorge Luis García & James J. Heckman, 2023. "Parenting Promotes Social Mobility Within and Across Generations," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 15(1), pages 349-388, September.
    3. Marco Castillo & John A. List & Ragan Petrie & Anya Samek, 2024. "Detecting Drivers of Behavior at an Early Age: Evidence from a Longitudinal Field Experiment," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(12), pages 3942-3977.
    4. Jin Zhou & James J. Heckman & Bei Liu & Mai Lu & Susan M. Chang & Sally Grantham-McGregor, 2022. "Comparing China REACH and the Jamaica Home Visiting Program," NBER Working Papers 30529, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Amaral, Sofia & Dinarte-Diaz, Lelys & Dominguez, Patricio & Perez-Vincent, Santiago M., 2024. "Helping families help themselves: The (Un)intended impacts of a digital parenting program," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    6. Alison Andrew & Orazio Attanasio & Britta Augsburg & Lina Cardona-Sosa & Monimalika Day & Michele Giannola & Sally Grantham-McGregor & Pamela Jervis & Costas Meghir & Marta Rubio-Codina, 2024. "Early Childhood Intervention for the Poor: Long Term Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 32165, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Sadegh Eshaghnia & James J. Heckman, 2023. "Intergenerational Transmission of Inequality: Maternal Endowments, Investments, and Birth Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 31761, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Anthony Bald & Eric Chyn & Justine Hastings & Margarita Machelett, 2022. "The Causal Impact of Removing Children from Abusive and Neglectful Homes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(7), pages 1919-1962.
    9. Heckman, James J. & Galaty, Bridget & Tian, Haihan, 2023. "The Economic Approach to Personality, Character and Virtue," IZA Discussion Papers 16133, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Flavio Cunha & Marsha Gerdes & Qinyou Hu & Snejana Nihtianova, 2023. "Language Environment and Maternal Expectations: An Evaluation of the LENA Start Program," NBER Working Papers 30837, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Bobby W. Chung & Jian Zou, 2023. "Understanding spillover of peer parental education: Randomization evidence and mechanisms," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 61(3), pages 496-522, July.
    12. Ingvild Almås & Orazio Attanasio & Pamela Jervis, 2024. "Presidential Address: Economics and Measurement: New Measures to Model Decision Making," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 92(4), pages 947-978, July.
    13. repec:lic:licosd:42721 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Wang, Lei & Qian, Yiwei & Warrinnier, Nele & Attanasio, Orazio & Rozelle, Scott & Sylvia, Sean, 2023. "Parental investment, school choice, and the persistent benefits of an early childhood intervention," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    15. Lei Wang & Yiwei Qian & Nele Warrinnier & Orazio Attanasio & Scott Rozelle & Sean Sylvia, "undated". "Parental Investment, School Choice, and the Persistent Benefits of Intervention in Early Childhood," Working Papers 931, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    16. Sylvia, Sean & Luo, Renfu & Zhong, Jingdong & Dill, Sarah-Eve & Medina, Alexis & Rozelle, Scott, 2022. "Passive versus active service delivery: Comparing the effects of two parenting interventions on early cognitive development in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    experiment; scaling; mechanisms; home visiting; measurement;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • Z18 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Public Policy

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