I've developed an interest in early childhood development over the last year and a bit (*), in which field Nobel laureate Heckman's work has been very influential. This book has a pithy statement of his argument about the value - including from an economic efficiency perspective, and not neglecting the favourable equity implications - of early interventions aimed at both cognitive and socio-emotional skills; the piece itself isn't explicit, but I take it that the focus is from ages 0 to 5 years. And (this is what got me to buy it) it then follows up with a series of short responses from a range of other perspectives, most broadly supportive but a few dissenting or at least questioning key elements of Heckman's claims.
(The whole thing was originally part of a Boston Review forum, also available online.)
(The whole thing was originally part of a Boston Review forum, also available online.)
