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Parental locus of control and early childhood development: Evidence on parent and grandparent caregivers in rural China

Yu Bai, Dorien Emmers, Ying Li and Lei Tang

China Economic Review, 2022, vol. 74, issue C

Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between caregivers' internal or external parental locus of control (PLOC) orientation and child development outcomes. We surveyed 995 children under age 3 and their primary caregivers in a rural study site in Western China. The empirical results show that a more internal PLOC orientation is reflected in higher levels of intergenerational investment in a stimulating home environment and improved child development outcomes. Grandparent caregivers have, on average, a more external PLOC orientation than do parent caregivers, which is associated with reduced engagement in interactive caregiver-child activities. This study provides evidence that PLOC orientation plays an important role in intergenerational human capital investment and early child development in non-Western, low-to-middle income settings.

Keywords: Parental locus of control; Parental investment; Early childhood development; Intergenerational investment; Rural China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I26 J13 J24 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:chieco:v:74:y:2022:i:c:s1043951x22000724

DOI: 10.1016/j.chieco.2022.101814

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China Economic Review is currently edited by B.M. Fleisher, K. X. D. Huang, M.E. Lovely, Y. Wen, X. Zhang and X. Zhu

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