We provide evidence on the impact of a large-scale construction of pre-primary school facilities in Argentina. We estimate the causal impact of the program on pre-primary school attendance and maternal labor supply. Identification relies on a differences-in-differences strategy where we combine differences across regions in the number of facilities built with differences in exposure across cohorts induced by the timing of the program. We find a sizeable impact of the program on pre-primary school participation among children aged between 3 and 5. In fact, we cannot reject the null hypothesis of a full take-up of newly constructed places. In addition, we find that the implicit childcare subsidy induced by the program appears to increases maternal employment.
Authors
Samuel Berlinski
Washington University in St Louis
Journal article details
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.labeco.2007.01.003
- JEL
- I28, J13, O15
- Issue
- June 2007
Suggested citation
Berlinski, S and Galiani, S. (2007). 'The effect of a large expansion of pre-primary school facilities on preschool attendance and maternal employment' (2007)
More from IFS
Understand this issue
If you can’t see it, you can’t be it: role models influence female junior doctors’ choice of medical specialty
24 April 2024
Sure Start achieved its aims, then we threw it away
15 April 2024
The £600 billion problem awaiting the next government
25 April 2024
Policy analysis
Recent trends in and the outlook for health-related benefits
19 April 2024
4.2 million working-age people now claiming health-related benefits, could rise by 30% by the end of the decade
19 April 2024
The past and future of UK health spending
14 May 2024
Academic research
Forced displacement, mental health, and child development: Evidence from Rohingya refugees
10 May 2024
Higher Education Access and Funding: challenges and policy options
The role of hospital networks in individual mortality
13 May 2024