External authors:

• Krista Ruffini ( Federal Reserve System - USA , Georgetown University )

Abstract:

This work examines whether additional time in elementary , secondary school affects economic well-being in adulthood. We leverage cross -municipality and cross-cohort variation in a reform that increased the Chilean school day by 30 percent between 1997 and 2010 and find that full -day schooling increased educational attainment, delayed childbearing , increased earnings when students reached young adulthood. These findings are consistent with a human capital channel and demonstrate that large-scale investments in public education can yield long-term economic benefits.