RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 More is Less? The Impact of Family Size on Education Outcomes in the United States, 1850–1940
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 0517-8768R1
DO 10.3368/jhr.54.4.0517.8768R1
A1 Hui Ren Tan
YR 2018
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2018/05/11/jhr.54.4.0517.8768R1.abstract
AB Was there a tradeoff between family size and education during the demographic transition in the United States? Exploiting the occurrence of twin births as a source of exogenous variation in family size, I find that an additional sibling reduces the likelihood of attending school by 1 to 2 percentage points. To evaluate the persistence of family size effects, I create a linked sample of boys between 1920–1940. Individuals raised in larger families accumulate less human capital by adulthood. However, the impact of family size is quantitatively small relative to the average level of education in the population.