Growing up : Early-life circumstances and wellbeing throughout life, Sweden 1905–2016

Abstract

The first years of life are a critical period of development, and circumstances during this period can affect individuals throughout life. But to what extent do disadvantaged circumstances in childhood affect individual wellbeing in later life and for whom? Can interventions in childhood break adversity over the life course? For whom are interventions most effective and why?

This thesis aims to investigate these questions by studying individuals growing up in the first half of the twentieth century in Sweden. Two types of disadvantaged childhood circumstances are considered: being born in times of disease outbreaks and growing up in a household with limited economic resources. Further, the effect of interventions aimed to improve childhood circumstances are analysed. First, the introduction of an unconditional cash transfer to widow-headed families, and second, the provision of formal childcare to low-income families.

The four studies included in this thesis utilise unique historical population data from a town in Southern Sweden and its rural surroundings between 1905–67. These data are linked to new historical sources with information on previously understudied circumstances and outcomes in childhood – pre-school attendance and school performance – as well as modern data which allows following individuals over time and into old age. State-of-the-art econometric methods of causal inference are applied in the analyses to disentangle the effect of each specific childhood circumstance from influences in the family and the surrounding environment.

This thesis finds that growing up in disadvantaged circumstances – being born in times of disease outbreaks and growing up in a household with limited economic resources – in the first half of the twentieth century had short- and long-term adverse effects on different measures of wellbeing, including school performance, socioeconomic outcomes and health. The results indicate that the negative effects persisted throughout the life course. Yet, providing additional economic resources and formal childcare to low-income families reduced adversities in the short-term, and broke long-term patterns of disadvantage. Household income in childhood emerges as an important mechanism. The four studies also show that heterogeneous effects by sex develop over the life course. The thesis’s findings imply that economic and health circumstances experienced in adulthood partially have early-life origins.

Abstract (Swedish)

The first years of life are a critical period of development, and circumstances during this period can affect individuals throughout life. But to what extent do disadvantaged circumstances in childhood affect individual wellbeing in later life and for whom? Can interventions in childhood break adversity over the life course? For whom are interventions most effective and why?

This thesis aims to investigate these questions by studying individuals growing up in the first half of the twentieth century in Sweden. Two types of disadvantaged childhood circumstances are considered: being born in times of disease outbreaks and growing up in a household with limited economic resources. Further, the effect of interventions aimed to improve childhood circumstances are analysed. First, the introduction of an unconditional cash transfer to widow-headed families, and second, the provision of formal childcare to low-income families.

The four studies included in this thesis utilise unique historical population data from a town in Southern Sweden and its rural surroundings between 1905-67. These data are linked to new historical sources with information on previously understudied circumstances and outcomes in childhood – pre-school attendance and school performance – as well as modern data which allows following individuals over time and into old age. State-of-the-art econometric methods of causal inference are applied in the analyses to disentangle the effect of each specific childhood circumstance from influences in the family and the surrounding environment.

This thesis finds that growing up in disadvantaged circumstances – being born in times of disease outbreaks and growing up in a household with limited economic resources – in the first half of the twentieth century had short- and long-term adverse effects on different measures of wellbeing, including school performance, socioeconomic outcomes and health. The results indicate that the negative effects persisted throughout the life course. Yet, providing additional economic resources and formal childcare to low-income families reduced adversities in the short-term, and broke long-term patterns of disadvantage. Household income in childhood emerges as an important mechanism. The four studies also show that heterogeneous effects by sex develop over the life course. The thesis’s findings imply that economic and health circumstances experienced in adulthood partially have early-life origins.

• author: Cormack, Louise
• supervisor: Luciana Quaranta; Volha Lazuka
• opponent: Professor Schneider, Eric, London School of Economics and Political Science
• organization: Department of Economic History
• publishing date: 2025-05-09
• type: Thesis
• publication status: published
• subject: Economic History
• keywords: childhood, disadvantage, disease, cash transfer, formal childcare, human capital, parental investments, Sweden, twentieth century, welfare state, socioeconomic status, poverty persitence, life course
• issue: 117
• defense location: EC3:210
• defense date: 2025-05-09 10:15:00
• ISSN: 1400-4860
• ISBN: 978-91-989641-9-6
• ISBN: 978-91-989641-8-9
• language: English
• LU publication?: yes
• id: b8099128-90b1-40c2-848a-0e4a83cbf01a
• date added to LUP: 2025-04-10 14:17:15
• date last changed: 2025-04-11 09:25:06