Parenting Scarcity and Violence
Parenting, Scarcity, and Violence
Jorge Cuartas
Arturo Harker
*
Roa ;
Andrés
**
Moya
de Gobierno, Universidad de los Andes, **Facultad de Economía, Universidad de los Andes
Abstract
Empirical strategy
How to measure parenting, scarcity, and violence:
• Parenting: ENCV 2013 - Frequency of activities
between parents and children (e.g., read, play,
sing). Parental negligence: not exerting any
activity with children.
• Scarcity: ENCV 2013 – is household income (i)
enough, (ii) less than enough, or (iii) not enough
to cover the household expenses.
• Violence: Min. Defensa - homicides rate per
100.000 inhabitants in the municipality.
Parenting is a main predictor of cognitive and
social-emotional development in early childhood.
Nonetheless, there is a parenting gap between low
and high income households. Based on recent
literature from psychology and behavioral
economics, we discuss a theoretical framework to
understand these differences. Particularly, we
identify that perceiving scarcity or being exposed
to adversities may reduce parents’ cognitive
resources, thus leaving less capacity to exert high
quality parenting practices. Using cross-sectional
data from a household survey, and administrative
information about crime and violence in Colombia,
we identify that feeling scarcity and being exposed
to violence correlate with a probability of child
neglect 6 to 8 percentage points higher. In the
same fashion, receiving information about
parenting correlates with a probability of parental
negligence 5 percentage points lower.
Econometric strategy
• We estimate probit models, controlling for
household
income,
parents'
education,
information about parenting practices, and
other individual, household, and municipal
characteristics.
Feeling scarcity changes attention allocation and
reduces cognitive capacity. Being exposed to
violence produces stress, which has a causal
effect over self-control, patience, motivation,
aspirations, and expectations .
0,18
0,16
0,14
Pr(Negligence)
*Escuela
*
Ricaurte ;
0.13
0,12
0,1
0.08
0,08
0,06
0.05
0,04
0,02
0
������ ���� =
+
�������� � +
�� �� ���� + � + ��
Low exposition Middle exposition High exposition
Figure 2. Parental negligence and violence
Motivation
Results
Discussion
Early childhood is a critical stage of development,
where cognitive and socioemotional skills develop1.
Kids born in disadvantage environments, who
experienced adversities (e.g., being exposed to
poverty or violence), are at much greater risk of
being unskilled, having lower income, worst
educational and professional performance, and a
series of social and emotional problems through
their life2. Nonetheless, there is a natural antidote
against adverse childhood experiences: parenting3.
Table 1 summarizes our main results:
• There is a correlation between income and
child neglect (Column 1), however, it is driven
by omitted variables.
• Receiving information about parenting
correlates with a lower probability of parental
negligence.
• Scarcity (i.e., the feeling of having less than
what is needed) correlates with a probability
of parental negligence 6 percentage points
higher (Column 2, Figure 1). Including such
variable detracts significance to income
coefficient.
• Being exposed to violence (homicides in the
municipality) correlates with a probability of
parental negligence 8 percentage points
higher (Column 3, Figure 2).
• Our results suggest that feeling scarcity and
being exposed to violence increases the
chances of parental negligence in Colombia.
• These findings highlight the importance of
understanding and taking into account, for
public policy, the underlying principles
behind self-defeating behaviors that may
produce intergenerational poverty traps.
• Nevertheless, our results are not a causal
effect, and it is possible to argue that they
are hiding other things (for instance, omitted
variables). However, we run robustness
checks that allowed us to believe we are
finding an effect of scarcity and violence on
parental negligence.
Although this is encouraging, not all parents exert
the same rearing quality. Particularly, recent
evidence suggests low-income parents are not
giving their children as much attention, support
and encouragement as they need4. Traditionally, it
has been assumed that such behaviors are
explained by a culture of poverty or by systematic
differences between the poor and non-poor5.
However Psychology and behavioral economics
offer a new explanation: mental resources (e.g.,
self-control, motivation, patience) are scarce, and
the same adversities that impact children may
reduce parents resources, leaving less capacity to
exert high quality parenting practices6.
Usually, poor parenting practices are found in
poor households. It is not because of systematic
differences between the poor and non-poor. It is
due to the psychological consequences of living
in disadvantage environments and being exposed
to adversities.
Table 1. Parental negligence likelihood
Income per capita (log)
(1)
(2)
(3)
-0.098***
(0.018)
0.046
(0.048)
0.051
(0.035)
-0.501***
(0.180)
-0.479***
(0.175)
Information
Some scarcity
0.249
0.214
Scarcity
0.437**
(0.226)
Homicides (log)
Controls
0.201
(0.250)
0.448*
(0.271)
0.093*
(0.054)
0,14
0,12
0.11
0,1
Pr(Negligence)
Probit
0,08
0,06
0.07
0.05
0,04
0,02
0
No
Yes
Yes
Observations
4,081
2,214
2,003
Robust standard errors in parentheses. ***p
Jorge Cuartas
Arturo Harker
*
Roa ;
Andrés
**
Moya
de Gobierno, Universidad de los Andes, **Facultad de Economía, Universidad de los Andes
Abstract
Empirical strategy
How to measure parenting, scarcity, and violence:
• Parenting: ENCV 2013 - Frequency of activities
between parents and children (e.g., read, play,
sing). Parental negligence: not exerting any
activity with children.
• Scarcity: ENCV 2013 – is household income (i)
enough, (ii) less than enough, or (iii) not enough
to cover the household expenses.
• Violence: Min. Defensa - homicides rate per
100.000 inhabitants in the municipality.
Parenting is a main predictor of cognitive and
social-emotional development in early childhood.
Nonetheless, there is a parenting gap between low
and high income households. Based on recent
literature from psychology and behavioral
economics, we discuss a theoretical framework to
understand these differences. Particularly, we
identify that perceiving scarcity or being exposed
to adversities may reduce parents’ cognitive
resources, thus leaving less capacity to exert high
quality parenting practices. Using cross-sectional
data from a household survey, and administrative
information about crime and violence in Colombia,
we identify that feeling scarcity and being exposed
to violence correlate with a probability of child
neglect 6 to 8 percentage points higher. In the
same fashion, receiving information about
parenting correlates with a probability of parental
negligence 5 percentage points lower.
Econometric strategy
• We estimate probit models, controlling for
household
income,
parents'
education,
information about parenting practices, and
other individual, household, and municipal
characteristics.
Feeling scarcity changes attention allocation and
reduces cognitive capacity. Being exposed to
violence produces stress, which has a causal
effect over self-control, patience, motivation,
aspirations, and expectations .
0,18
0,16
0,14
Pr(Negligence)
*Escuela
*
Ricaurte ;
0.13
0,12
0,1
0.08
0,08
0,06
0.05
0,04
0,02
0
������ ���� =
+
�������� � +
�� �� ���� + � + ��
Low exposition Middle exposition High exposition
Figure 2. Parental negligence and violence
Motivation
Results
Discussion
Early childhood is a critical stage of development,
where cognitive and socioemotional skills develop1.
Kids born in disadvantage environments, who
experienced adversities (e.g., being exposed to
poverty or violence), are at much greater risk of
being unskilled, having lower income, worst
educational and professional performance, and a
series of social and emotional problems through
their life2. Nonetheless, there is a natural antidote
against adverse childhood experiences: parenting3.
Table 1 summarizes our main results:
• There is a correlation between income and
child neglect (Column 1), however, it is driven
by omitted variables.
• Receiving information about parenting
correlates with a lower probability of parental
negligence.
• Scarcity (i.e., the feeling of having less than
what is needed) correlates with a probability
of parental negligence 6 percentage points
higher (Column 2, Figure 1). Including such
variable detracts significance to income
coefficient.
• Being exposed to violence (homicides in the
municipality) correlates with a probability of
parental negligence 8 percentage points
higher (Column 3, Figure 2).
• Our results suggest that feeling scarcity and
being exposed to violence increases the
chances of parental negligence in Colombia.
• These findings highlight the importance of
understanding and taking into account, for
public policy, the underlying principles
behind self-defeating behaviors that may
produce intergenerational poverty traps.
• Nevertheless, our results are not a causal
effect, and it is possible to argue that they
are hiding other things (for instance, omitted
variables). However, we run robustness
checks that allowed us to believe we are
finding an effect of scarcity and violence on
parental negligence.
Although this is encouraging, not all parents exert
the same rearing quality. Particularly, recent
evidence suggests low-income parents are not
giving their children as much attention, support
and encouragement as they need4. Traditionally, it
has been assumed that such behaviors are
explained by a culture of poverty or by systematic
differences between the poor and non-poor5.
However Psychology and behavioral economics
offer a new explanation: mental resources (e.g.,
self-control, motivation, patience) are scarce, and
the same adversities that impact children may
reduce parents resources, leaving less capacity to
exert high quality parenting practices6.
Usually, poor parenting practices are found in
poor households. It is not because of systematic
differences between the poor and non-poor. It is
due to the psychological consequences of living
in disadvantage environments and being exposed
to adversities.
Table 1. Parental negligence likelihood
Income per capita (log)
(1)
(2)
(3)
-0.098***
(0.018)
0.046
(0.048)
0.051
(0.035)
-0.501***
(0.180)
-0.479***
(0.175)
Information
Some scarcity
0.249
0.214
Scarcity
0.437**
(0.226)
Homicides (log)
Controls
0.201
(0.250)
0.448*
(0.271)
0.093*
(0.054)
0,14
0,12
0.11
0,1
Pr(Negligence)
Probit
0,08
0,06
0.07
0.05
0,04
0,02
0
No
Yes
Yes
Observations
4,081
2,214
2,003
Robust standard errors in parentheses. ***p