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Inequality in socio-emotional skills: a cross-cohort comparison

Author

Listed:
  • Orazio Attanasio

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and Yale University)

  • Richard Blundell

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University College London)

  • Gabriella Conti

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies and University College London)

  • Giacomo Mason

    (Institute for Fiscal Studies)

Abstract

We examine changes in inequality in socio-emotional skills very early in life in two British cohorts born 30 years apart. We construct comparable scales using two validated instruments for the measurement of child behaviour and identify two dimensions of socio-emotional skills: ‘internalising’ and ‘eternalising’. Using recent methodological advances in factor analysis, we establish comparability in the inequality of these early skills across cohorts, but not in their average level. We document for the first time that inequality in socio-emotional skills has increased across cohorts, especially for boys and at the bottom of the distribution. We also formally decompose the sources of the increase in inequality and find that compositional changes explain half of the rise in inequality in externalising skills. On the other hand, the increase in inequality in internalising skills seems entirely driven by changes in returns to background characteristics. Lastly, we document that socio-emotional skills measured at an earlier age than in most of the existing literature are significant predictors of health and health behaviours. Our results show the importance of formally testing comparability of measurements to study skills di?erences across groups, and in general point to the role of inequalities in the early years for the accumulation of health and human capital across the life course.

Suggested Citation

  • Orazio Attanasio & Richard Blundell & Gabriella Conti & Giacomo Mason, 2020. "Inequality in socio-emotional skills: a cross-cohort comparison," IFS Working Papers W20/11, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
  • Handle: RePEc:ifs:ifsewp:20/11
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    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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