The determinants of population self-control

Deborah Cobb-Clark, Sarah C. Dahmann, Daniel A. Kamhöfer and Hannah Schildberg-Hörisch
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Hannah Schildberg-Hoerisch ()

No 385, DICE Discussion Papers from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE)

Abstract: This paper demonstrates that structural factors can shape people's self-control. We study the determinants of adult self-control using population-representative data and exploiting two sources of quasi-experimental variation|Germany's division and compulsory schooling reforms. We find that former East Germans have substantially higher levels of self-control than West Germans and provide evidence for suppression as a possible underlying mechanism. An increase in compulsory schooling had no causal effect on self-control. Moreover, we find that self-control increases linearly with age. In contrast to previous findings for children, there is no gender gap in adult self-control and family background does not predict self-control.

Keywords: determinants of self-control; quasi-experiments; German division; compulsory schooling reforms; population-representative evidence; Brief Self-Control Scale (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C26 D90 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cbe, nep-eur, nep-evo and nep-neu
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/251429/1/1796464147.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: The Determinants of Population Self-Control (2022)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:dicedp:385

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