Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/278885 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16187
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We exploit a large quasi-exogenous shock to study the development of socioemotional skills during adolescence and the consequences for long-term behavior and labor market outlook. Using novel, longitudinal, microdata on cohorts of East German adolescents before and after a large macro shock (the German Reunification), we causally estimate the impact on socioemotional skills, finding substantial negative effects in the short run. These effects are substantially larger among those affected by the shock in their early adolescence (13-14 years old), relative to older adolescents (16-17 years old). Changes in socioemotional skills have a lasting (negative) impact on them as adults, especially among those affected early in their adolescence, in terms of their expressions of externalizing behavior (e.g., physical fighting) and behavioral control problems (i.e., substance abuse), as well as internalizing behavior (i.e., mental health) and in their (labor-market) optimism and expectations. This study highlights the permanent effects of uncertainty on socioemotional skills during formative years.
Subjects: 
socioemotional development
youths
behavior
health
education
JEL: 
D91
I12
I31
J13
J16
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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