How the Allocation of Children's Time Affects the Stimulation of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Development

Funding: 2010: $100,000
2011: $100,000
2012: $100,000

Funding or Partner Organisation: Australian Research Council (ARC Discovery Projects)

Start year: 2011

Summary: The allocation of children's time among different activities may be important for their cognitive and non-cognitive development, which in turn can affect later life outcomes, such as educational attainment, wages, employment, and choice of occupation. Yet most research in economics and sociology focuses on only a few determinants of children's development (e.g. child care, parental income, TV time) while ignoring many other daily activities. In our work we exploit time use diaries from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children to study the effect of time allocation across a wide range of alternative activities. Our results will help policy makers and the public to understand the formative role of a wide range of child activities.

Keywords: Cognitive and Non Cognitive Skills; Early Childhood; Human Capital; Parental Investment; Child Care; Time Use Diaries;

FOR Codes: Labour Economics, Public Economics- Public Choice, Econometric and Statistical Methods, Public Sector Economics, Microeconomic issues not elsewhere classified, Early childhood education, Youth/child development and welfare, Labour economics , Public economics - public choice

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.