Parenting Style and Children's Time Preference

Résumé du livre

We conduct an evaluation of a randomized early childhood intervention on children's time preference. The Jamaican-based home visiting program is aimed at improving knowledge of child development and child-rearing practices. Analyzing the impact of a weekly home visiting program for over 500 households living in poor rural villages in China, we find a significantly positive impact on preschool children's patience measured two years after treatment. The intervention has a significant and lasting impact on parenting style but no persistent effect on other likely intermediating factors. Our findings are consistent with the literature in developmental psychology, which suggest child-rearing practices such as parenting style is closely correlated with children's time preference. We also find the impact of the early childhood intervention on children's patience is more prominent if the treated samples are girls, left-behind children cared for by grandparents, children in families with high socioeconomic status and less harsh parenting styles, and children of high cognition.