Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Random Assignment of Families
In a different paper, Bruce Sacerdote examines the effects of family characteristics on child outcomes using the random assignment of Korean adoptees to American families:
I use a new data set of Korean-American adoptees who, as infants, were randomly assigned to families in the U.S. I examine the treatment effects from being assigned to a high income family, a high education family or a family with four or more children. I calculate the transmission of income, education and health characteristics from adoptive parents to adoptees. I then compare these coefficients of transmission to the analogous coefficients for biological children in the same families, and to children raised by their biological parents in other data sets. Having a college educated mother increases an adoptee's probability of graduating from college by 7 percentage points, but raises a biological child's probability of graduating from college by 26 percentage points. In contrast, transmission of drinking and smoking behavior from parents to children is as strong for adoptees as for non-adoptees. For height, obesity, and income, transmission coefficients are significantly higher for non-adoptees than for adoptees. In this sample, sibling gender composition does not appear to affect adoptee outcomes nor does the mix of adoptee siblings versus biological siblings.
// posted by BW @ 6:01 PM 
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I haven't read the paper, but I'd be worried about selection among the Korean kids. For example, if orphans are less healthy than other kids (initially), then you might see long-term impacts.
You also have the combined effects of (1) being raised by non-biological parents and (2) being raised by parents of another race in a country where you are the minority. Effect (2) may be quite large and seriously affects generalizeability.
Still very interesting, just caveats.
You also have the combined effects of (1) being raised by non-biological parents and (2) being raised by parents of another race in a country where you are the minority. Effect (2) may be quite large and seriously affects generalizeability.
Still very interesting, just caveats.
I agree with your caveats, but at least the stuff comparing Korean adoptees in one family to Korean adoptees in another family should be sound and provide insights into how family traits affect kids. Although, the specific point estimates are limited to the effects on Korean orphans.
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