In the second part of this two-part discussion, Katharine Stevens continues her conversation with economists James Heckman and Jorge Luis Garcia about their pioneering research on how improving parenting is the essential mechanism of effective early childhood programs, and their new paper, "Parenting Promotes Social Mobility Within and Across Generations."

They discuss why policies aiming to support young children's development must focus on families, the importance of considering incentives in making policy, how we need to broaden the concept of "investment" in early childhood beyond public spending, and the promise of home visiting as the lowest-cost, most scalable approach to supporting young children's development.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Parenting is the crucial driver of healthy early development.
• Public spending should be targeted at the socially and economically disadvantaged families who need help the most.
• Early childhood policy should focus on evidence-based approaches that improve parent-child interactions and support families in providing a loving, nurturing environment for their young children.
• Research should aim to understand the mechanisms of effective programs and emphasize replicability of evidence.

ABOUT THE GUESTS

James Heckman is a Nobel-prize winning economist, a longtime professor at the University of Chicago, and director of the Center for the Economics of Human Development. He has devoted his professional life to understanding the origins of major social and economic problems as well as the economics of human flourishing. Learn more about Professor Heckman's work at bit.ly/3YToVs0.

Jorge Luis Garcia is a professor of applied micro-economics at Clemson University. His research focuses on the intersection of labor and development economics, aiming to design and evaluate social policies that help develop the economic conditions of countries and people. Learn more about Professor Garcia's work at bit.ly/44ruLlD.

RELATED WORK

• Read their new paper: "Parenting Promotes Social Mobility Within and Across Generations" at https://www.nber.org/papers/w30610.
• Listen to Part 1 of the conversation here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2148289/episodes/13389213#.

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