Universal early childhood education and adolescent risky behavior

Michihito Ando, Hiroaki Mori and Shintaro Yamaguchi

Journal of Public Economics, 2025, vol. 245, issue C

Abstract: The evidence for the effects of early childhood education on risky behavior in adolescence is limited. This paper studies the consequences of an expansion of a universal preschool program in Japan. Exploiting regional differences in the program expansion, we estimate the policy effects using an event study model. Our estimates indicate that the preschool expansion significantly reduced juvenile violent arrests and the rate of teenage pregnancy, but did not increase high school enrollment or college enrollment rates. We suspect that improved non-cognitive skills can account for the reduction of risky behavior in adolescence.

Keywords: Early childhood education; Crime; Teenage pregnancy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H52 I20 I28 J13 J24 K40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:245:y:2025:i:c:s0047272725000519

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2025.105353

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