TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Cobb-Clark, Deborah A.
AU  - Dahmann, Sarah C.
AU  - Kamhöfer, Daniel A.
AU  - Schildberg-Hörisch, Hannah
        TI  - The Determinants of Population Self-Control 
        PY  - 2022/Mar/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 15175
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp15175
        AB  - This paper demonstrates that structural factors can shape people's self-control. We study the determinants of adult self-control using population-representative data and exploiting two sources of quasi-experimental variation-Germany's division and compulsory schooling reforms. We find that former East Germans have substantially higher levels of self-control than West Germans and provide evidence for suppression as a possible underlying mechanism. An increase in compulsory schooling had no causal effect on self-control. Moreover, we find that self-control increases linearly with age. In contrast to previous findings for children, there is no gender gap in adult self-control and family background does not predict self-control.
        KW  - determinants of self-control
KW  - Brief Self-Control Scale
KW  - population-representative evidence
KW  - German division
KW  - quasi-experiments
KW  - compulsory schooling reforms
        ER  -