Not Playing Favorites: Parents and the Value of Equal Opportunity

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2025
Volume: 17
Issue: 3
Pages: 117-60

Score contribution per author:

1.341 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We conduct two experiments to identify the value parents place on equality of opportunity when investing in children. The experiments exogenously vary short-run returns to educational investments to identify the weight placed on equalizing "opportunity" (child-level investment) relative to maximizing "returns" (total household earnings) or to equalizing "outcomes" (child-level expected earnings). While parents in both experiments place some weight on maximizing returns, they also display a strong preference for equalizing opportunities and are willing to forgo 15–45 percent of their earnings to do so. Parents in higher-income countries also care about equalizing outcomes, while parents in lower-income countries do not.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:117-60
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24