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Labor Market Returns to Early Childhood Stimulation: a 20-year Followup to an Experimental Intervention in Jamaica

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Gertler
  • James Heckman
  • Rodrigo Pinto
  • Arianna Zanolini
  • Christel Vermeersch
  • Susan Walker
  • Susan M. Chang
  • Sally Grantham-McGregor

Abstract

We find large effects on the earnings of participants from a randomized intervention that gave psychosocial stimulation to stunted Jamaican toddlers living in poverty. The intervention consisted of one-hour weekly visits from community Jamaican health workers over a 2-year period that taught parenting skills and encouraged mothers to interact and play with their children in ways that would develop their children's cognitive and personality skills. We re-interviewed the study participants 20 years after the intervention. Stimulation increased the average earnings of participants by 42 percent. Treatment group earnings caught up to the earnings of a matched non-stunted comparison group. These findings show that psychosocial stimulation early in childhood in disadvantaged settings can have substantial effects on labor market outcomes and reduce later life inequality.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Gertler & James Heckman & Rodrigo Pinto & Arianna Zanolini & Christel Vermeersch & Susan Walker & Susan M. Chang & Sally Grantham-McGregor, 2013. "Labor Market Returns to Early Childhood Stimulation: a 20-year Followup to an Experimental Intervention in Jamaica," NBER Working Papers 19185, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19185
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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