The decision-makers we become: Early education and the decision-making of boys and girls

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Development Economics
Year: 2026
Volume: 179
Issue: C

Authors (4)

Carvalho, Leandro S. (not in RePEc) Cardim, Joana (not in RePEc) Carneiro, Pedro (not in RePEc) de Walque, Damien (World Bank Group)

Score contribution per author:

1.009 = (α=2.02 / 4 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

One way to advance our understanding of individual differences in decision-making is to study the development of children's decision-making. This paper studies the causal effects of daycare attendance on children's economic preferences and decision-making abilities, exploiting a lottery system that randomized admissions into oversubscribed daycare centers in Rio de Janeiro. Impacts are estimated separately for boys and girls. Daycare attendance increased the decision-making quality of boys by 0.16 standard deviations (SD) and the aversion of girls to disadvantageous inequality (i.e., having less than one's peer) by 0.23 SD. It also decreased the self-control of boys by 0.19 SD.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:deveco:v:179:y:2026:i:c:s0304387825002111
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
4
Added to Database
2026-01-25