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dc.titleInequality in the Early Years in LAC: A Comparative Study of Size, Persistence, and Policies
dc.contributor.authorAttanasio, Orazio P.
dc.contributor.authorLopez Boo, Florencia
dc.contributor.authorPerez-Lopez, Diana
dc.contributor.authorReynolds, Sarah Anne
dc.contributor.orgunitVice Presidency for Sectors and Knowledge
dc.coverageLatin America
dc.date.available2023-12-13T00:12:00
dc.date.issue2023-12-13T00:12:00
dc.description.abstractGaps in child development by socioeconomic status (SES) start early in life, are large and can increase inequalities later in life. We use recent national-level, cross-sectional and longitudinal data to examine inequalities in child development (namely, language, cognition, and socio-emotional skills) of children 0-5 in five Latin American countries (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay). In the cross-section analysis, we find statistically significant gaps with inequality patterns that widely differ across countries. For instance, gaps in language and cognition for Uruguay and Chile are much smaller than those for Colombia and Peru. When turning to the longitudinal data, average SES gaps are similar to those of the cross-section in language but differ substantially in cognition, mainly in Uruguay where they emerge as more unequal when cohort effects do not operate. Importantly, we also find that the ECD gaps found at early ages (0-5), still manifest 6-12 years later in almost all locations and realms in which we have measures of early child development, but they do not increase with age. Results are robust to using different measures of inequality (income and maternal education). Gaps are smaller but generally remain when adjusting for possible explanatory factors (e.g., family structure, parental education, geographic fixed effects). To reduce ECD inequality and promote equality in later life outcomes, policymakers should look to implementing evidence-based interventions at scale to improve developmental outcomes of the most disadvantaged children in society.
dc.format.extent78
dc.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0005359
dc.identifier.urlhttps://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Inequality-in-the-Early-Years-in-LAC-A-Comparative-Study-of-Size-Persistence-and-Policies.pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherInter-American Development Bank
dc.relation.seriesLatin America and Caribbean Inequality Review
dc.subjectChild Development
dc.subjectPopulation Aging
dc.subjectChildren
dc.subjectEquality
dc.subjectEarly Childhood Development
dc.subject.jelcodeI14 - Health and Inequality
dc.subject.jelcodeI24 - Education and Inequality
dc.subject.jelcodeI25 - Education and Economic Development
dc.subject.jelcodeJ13 - Fertility • Family Planning • Child Care • Children • Youth
dc.subject.jelcodeJ24 - Human Capital • Skills • Occupational Choice • Labor Productivity
dc.subject.jelcodeO54 - Latin America • Caribbean
dc.subject.keywordschild development;inequalities;Latin America and the Caribbean
dc.typeWorking Papers
idb.identifier.pubnumberIDB-WP-01562
idb.operationRG-T3609
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