The effect of early childhood intervention on personal economic outcomes: The mediating role of life history strategy.

21 Pages Posted: 3 Feb 2024

See all articles by Curt Dunkel

Curt Dunkel

Western Illinois University

William Joseph Klubinski

Northumbria University

Dimitri Van der Linden

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)

Jonathan J. Hammersley

Western Illinois University

Date Written: December 8, 2023

Abstract

The Carolina Abecedarian Project (ABC) is a randomized control study designed to test the efficacy of early childhood interventions for at-risk children. Proponents of interventions like the ABC argue that long-term financial savings can be achieved by expanding these types of programs. However, the results of the long-term effect of the ABC on participant’s financial outcomes have been mixed. Using the framework of life history theory, the effects of the intervention on several economic outcomes for ABC participants at age 21 were tested. Life history strategy was found to mediate between the intervention and level of education, criminal convictions, transportation self-sufficiency, and medical self-sufficiency. The results lend support to the efficacy of the ABC and suggest that early childhood intervention may improve individual financial outcomes by shifting life history strategy.

Keywords: Early Childhood Interventions, Carolina Abecedarian Project, Life History Strategy, Self-Sufficiency, Education Level

Suggested Citation

Dunkel, Curt and Klubinski, William Joseph and Van der Linden, Dimitri and Hammersley, Jonathan J., The effect of early childhood intervention on personal economic outcomes: The mediating role of life history strategy. (December 8, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4714011 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4714011

Curt Dunkel

Western Illinois University ( email )

Macomb, IL 61455
United States

William Joseph Klubinski (Contact Author)

Northumbria University

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST
United Kingdom

Dimitri Van der Linden

Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) ( email )

Jonathan J. Hammersley

Western Illinois University

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