TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Buser, Thomas
        TI  - Childhood Misbehavior, Toxic Personality and Leadership
        PY  - 2026/Jun/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18744
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18744
        AB  - Recent studies have found that childhood misbehavior, despite predicting worse schooling outcomes, is associated with higher adult earnings. Using a retrospective measure in a representative Dutch survey panel, I document a new dimension of the misbehavior-career link: people who misbehaved as children are overrepresented in leadership positions and among entrepreneurs. Yet the same people are, as adults, more likely to engage in physical aggression and social transgressions. They also have an aversive personality – markedly more disagreeable, dishonest, narcissistic, manipulative, neurotic, unconscientious, and vindictive – and report lower wellbeing. These patterns persist even among those who reach the top, making them potentially toxic as leaders.
        KW  - childhood misbehavior
KW  - externalizing behavior
KW  - leadership
KW  - antisocial behavior
KW  - personality
KW  - non-cognitive skills
        ER  -