Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Title: Neighborhood Exposure Effects in Cognitive Skills and the Role of Primary Schools
Author-Name: Xi Lin
Author-Email: xi.lin@uni-mannheim.de

Classification-JEL: I24
Keywords: Neighborhood Effects, Mover Design, Intergenerational Mobility

Abstract: This study examines how childhood residential location affects cognitive skills,
focusing on the roles of neighborhood and primary school quality in shaping children’s
school performance. Using administrative data from the Netherlands, I estimate
the causal effect of neighborhood exposure—defined as the impact of time
spent in a neighborhood—on children’s test scores at the end of their primary education.
By comparing children who move at different ages, I separate the effects of
exposure from those of sorting into neighborhoods. The results show that for each
additional year a child spends in a neighborhood with higher expected test scores,
their test scores improve by approximately 2.5% relative to the total gap between
the lower- and higher-performing neighborhoods. As families can choose primary
schools without geographical restrictions in the Netherlands, I can further isolate
improvements attributable to school quality. Approximately 40% of the observed
improvements in test scores can be explained by differences in primary school quality.
These findings highlight the critical roles of neighborhood environments and
school quality in reducing spatial educational inequalities.

Note: 
Length: 38
Creation-Date: 2025-01
Revision-Date: 
File-URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp618
File-Format: application/pdf
Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:CRCTR224_2025_618