国发院三十周年学术名家讲座系列：Prof. Fabrizio Zilibotti
NSD 30th Anniversary Celebrity Distinguished Lecture Series：Prof. Fabrizio Zilibotti
Love, Money, Parenting, and Peers:
How Family and Socio-Economic Factors Influence Our Children's Upbringing
时间： 2024年6月13日（周四）14:00-15:30
Date and Time: Thursday, June 13, 2024, 14:00-15:30
地点： 北京大学国家发展研究院承泽园院区 245教室
Location: Room 245, Chengzeyuan Campus, National School of Development, Peking University
主讲人： Prof. Fabrizio Zilibotti, Yale University
Lecturer: Prof. Fabrizio Zilibotti, Yale University
主持人： 易君健
Moderator: Prof. Junjian Yi
Abstract:
This lecture explores recent research on the relationship between children's upbringing, parenting styles, and human capital accumulation. In the first part, Prof. Zilibotti delves into insights from his best-selling book "Love, Money, and Parenting," co-authored with Matthias Doepke. He will discuss how economic forces and income inequality shape parenting practices, contrasting the highly intensive parenting styles of American and Chinese parents with the more relaxed and permissive approaches of Scandinavian and Continental European parents. Prof. Zilibotti argues that these differences are not merely cultural but are driven by economic incentives and constraints, such as money, knowledge, and time. In nations experiencing large and rising economic inequality, such as China and the United States, parents increasingly push their children towards security and success, widening the "parenting gap" between wealthy and poor families and reducing social mobility for disadvantaged children. He will also examine how investments in early childhood development and the design of education systems influence parenting practices and discuss how economic policies can promote equal opportunity for all.
In the second part of the lecture, Prof. Zilibotti will address the significance of peer effects and their interaction with parenting styles. As children enter adolescence, parental control diminishes while peer influence grows. Parents can still shape their children's peer environments by choosing neighborhoods, schools, and extracurricular activities, or by directly encouraging or discouraging associations with specific peers. Based on his recent research with Francesco Agostinelli, Matthias Doepke, and Giuseppe Sorrenti, Prof. Zilibotti will discuss the determinants and consequences of parental intervention in their children's peer relationships, highlighting how such interventions can reduce the effectiveness of policies aimed at promoting social mixing in schools. Additionally, he will discuss the implications of COVID-19 and social distancing on peer effects and parenting styles, and how these changes might impact future income inequality as affected cohorts enter the labor market.
Lecturer Bio:
Prof. Fabrizio Zilibotti is the Tuntex Professor of International and Development Economics at Yale University. His research spans a wide range of topics, including economic growth, innovation, political economy, and family economics. He is particularly known for his work on how economic forces and income inequality influence parenting styles and human capital formation. Prof. Zilibotti is the co-author of the influential book "Love, Money, and Parenting," which examines the interplay between economic conditions and parenting practices over time and across different countries. He has also authored numerous influential studies on the economic growth of China. His foundational article "Growing Like China," co-authored with Zheng Song and Kjetil Storesletten, was awarded the prestigious Sun Yefang Award.
Prof. Zilibotti's groundbreaking research has earned him numerous accolades. He is the recipient of the Yrjö Jahnsson Award, which recognizes the best economist in Europe under the age of 45, and is a fellow of several prestigious academic societies, including the Econometric Society and the European Economic Association. His research has been published in many top international journals, including Econometrica, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, and the Review of Economic Studies. He has served as an editor of Econometrica, the Review of Economic Studies, and the Journal of the European Economic Association. Prof. Zilibotti's work not only advances academic understanding but also informs policies aimed at promoting equal opportunities and social mobility.
