ERIC Number: ED676585
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
A Stairway to Success: How Parenting Shapes Culture and Social Stratification. Working Paper 33963
Francesco Agostinelli; Matthias Doepke; Giuseppe Sorrenti; Fabrizio Zilibotti
National Bureau of Economic Research
This chapter argues that parenting choices are a central force in the joint evolution of culture and economic outcomes. We present a framework in which parents--motivated by both their children's future success and their own normative beliefs--choose parenting styles and transmit cultural traits responding to economic incentives. Values such as work ethic, patience, and religiosity are more likely to be instilled when their anticipated returns, economic or otherwise, are high. The interaction between parenting and economic conditions gives rise to endogenous cultural and economic stratification. We extend the model to include residential sorting and social interactions, showing how neighborhood choice reinforces disparities in trust and human capital. Empirical evidence from the World Values Survey supports the model's key predictions. We conclude by highlighting open questions at the intersection of parenting, culture, and inequality.
Descriptors: Child Rearing, Economic Factors, Social Stratification, Neighborhoods, Cultural Influences, Parenting Styles, Values, Incentives
National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) (United Kingdom); National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES)
Authoring Institution: National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1949228
Author Affiliations: N/A

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