The Impact of Parents' Entrepreneurial Attitudes on Children's Educational Choices in Brazil: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis

Abstract

This study employs propensity score matching with survey weight adjustment to identify the effects of parental entrepreneurial attitudes on their children's years of schooling, the likelihood of attending private schools, and the probability of enrolling in university education (public, private, or general). The microdata is from the 2015 National Household Sample Survey. The study incorporates a series of robustness tests and examines heterogeneous treatment effects. The findings indicate that parents with entrepreneurial backgrounds exhibit a greater preference for enrolling their children in private schools. This effect is amplified when both parents are entrepreneurs. The study further reveals that children of entrepreneurial parents are more likely to attend universities, with a stronger preference for private institutions. The analysis of the heterogeneous treatment effect also emphasizes how the gender of the children and the parent's entrepreneurial background significantly influence the magnitude of the treatment. JEL: J12, J24, L26.