Uncovering Peer Effects in Social and Academic Skills

Román Andrés Zárate

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 35-79

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of adolescent peers who are central in their social network on the formation of social skills and academic performance of fellow students. I conduct a novel large-scale field experiment at selective public boarding schools in Peru with two treatments: (i) more socially central versus less socially central peers, and (ii) higher-achieving versus lower-achieving peers. Peer effects are more pronounced for social skills than academic performance, and both vary by gender. While socially central peers lead boys to better social skills, higher-achieving peers decrease girls' test scores. Gender differences in self-confidence can explain both findings.

JEL-codes: C93 I21 I26 J13 J16 O15 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1257/app.20210583

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