TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Hernaes, Øystein
AU  - Markussen, Simen
AU  - Røed, Knut
        TI  - Television, Cognitive Ability, and High School Completion
        PY  - 2016/Jan/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 9645
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp9645
        AB  - We exploit supply-driven heterogeneity in the expansion of cable television across Norwegian municipalities to identify developmental effects of commercial television exposure during childhood. We find that higher exposure to commercial television reduces cognitive ability and high school graduation rates for young men. The effects are largest for exposure during pre-school and elementary school age. We find no effect on high school completion for women, suggesting availability of non-educational media content as a factor in the widening educational gender gap. Based on time-use data, we show that a possible explanation is that television-watching crowds out reading more for boys than girls.
        KW  - human capital
KW  - media
KW  - education gender gap
        ER  -