The Intergenerational Transmission of Cognitive Skills: An Investigation of the Causal Impact of Families on Student Outcomes

70 Pages Posted: 8 Nov 2021 Last revised: 20 Jun 2024

See all articles by Eric A. Hanushek

Eric A. Hanushek

Stanford University - Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Babs Jacobs

Maastricht University

Guido Schwerdt

University of Konstanz - Faculty of Economics and Statistics

Rolf Velden

Maastricht University

Stan Vermeulen

Maastricht University

Simon Wiederhold

Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: November 2021

Abstract

The extensive literature on intergenerational mobility highlights the importance of family linkages but fails to provide credible evidence about the underlying family factors that drive the pervasive correlations. We employ a unique combination of Dutch survey and registry data that links math and language skills across generations. We identify a causal connection between cognitive skills of parents and their children by exploiting within-family between-subject variation in these skills. The data also permit novel IV estimation that isolates variation in parental cognitive skills due to school and peer quality. The between-subject and IV estimates of the key intergenerational persistence parameter are strikingly similar and close at about 0.1. Finally, we show the strong influence of family skill transmission on children’s choices of STEM fields.

Suggested Citation

Hanushek, Eric A. and Jacobs, Babs and Schwerdt, Guido and Velden, Rolf and Vermeulen, Stan and Wiederhold, Simon, The Intergenerational Transmission of Cognitive Skills: An Investigation of the Causal Impact of Families on Student Outcomes (November 2021). NBER Working Paper No. w29450, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3958637

Eric A. Hanushek (Contact Author)

Stanford University - Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305-6010
United States
650-736-0942 (Phone)
650-723-1687 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Babs Jacobs

Maastricht University ( email )

Tongersestraat 53
Maastricht, Limburg 6211LM
Netherlands

Guido Schwerdt

University of Konstanz - Faculty of Economics and Statistics ( email )

Universitaetsstr. 10
78457 Konstanz
Germany

Rolf Velden

Maastricht University ( email )

P.O. Box 616
Maastricht, Limburg 6200MD
Netherlands

Stan Vermeulen

Maastricht University ( email )

Simon Wiederhold

Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt ( email )

Auf der Schanz 49
Ingolstadt, D-85049
Germany

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
23
Abstract Views
372
PlumX Metrics