School Tracking and Mental Health

60 Pages Posted: 6 Nov 2019

See all articles by Alexandra Roulet

Alexandra Roulet

INSEAD

Petri Bockerman

Labour Institute for Economic Research; University of Turku - Turku School of Economics

Mika Haapanen

University of Jyväskylä - School of Business and Economics

Christopher Jepsen

University College Dublin (UCD)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: October 2019

Abstract

We examine the effects of a comprehensive school reform on mental health. The reform postponed the tracking of students into vocational and academic schools from age 11 to age 16. The reform was implemented gradually across Finnish municipalities between 1972 and 1977. We use difference-in-differences variation and administrative data. Our results show that there is no discernible effect on mental health related hospitalisations on average even though the effect is precisely estimated. Heterogeneity analysis shows that, after the reform, females from highly-educated families were more likely to be hospitalised for depression.

Keywords: comprehensive school, Depression, hospitalisation, mental health, Tracking age

JEL Classification: I12, I26, I28

Suggested Citation

Roulet, Alexandra and Bockerman, Petri and Bockerman, Petri and Haapanen, Mika and Jepsen, Christopher, School Tracking and Mental Health (October 2019). CEPR Discussion Paper No. DP14086, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3478783

Alexandra Roulet

INSEAD ( email )

Boulevard de Constance
77305 Fontainebleau Cedex
France

Petri Bockerman (Contact Author)

Labour Institute for Economic Research ( email )

FIN-00530 Helsinki
Finland
+358 9 2535 7332 (Phone)
+358 9 2535 7332 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.petribockerman.fi/

University of Turku - Turku School of Economics ( email )

Rehtorinpellonkatu 3
TURKU, FI-20500
Finland

Mika Haapanen

University of Jyväskylä - School of Business and Economics ( email )

University of Jyväskylä
PO Box 35
FIN 40351, FIN-40014
Finland

Christopher Jepsen

University College Dublin (UCD) ( email )

Belfield
Belfield, Dublin 4 4
Ireland

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