model of Romer (1989) recognizes the importance of human capital for the economy. Romer highlighted the role of human capital in driving innovation and technological change, and consequently economic growth. He underscored that the continuous development of skills and knowledge within an economy is crucial for sustained economic progress. Besides the importance of basic skills, or human capital, for economic growth, these skills carry importance at an individual level. It is known that skills beget skills, which is part of a broader framework described by skill formation theories (e.g., the technology of skill formation from Cunha and Heckman (2007)). Early skill development facilitates future skill acquisition, meaning that the more skills you acquire early in life, the easier it is to gain more skills later on. Moreover, early skills are linked to varying economic and social outcomes, such as adult income, labor market outcomes, and health (e.g., Crawford & Cribb, 2013; Fischbach et al., 2013; Hanushek et al., 2015; Hatch et al., 2007; McIntosh & Vignoles, 2001; Ritchie & Bates, 2013; Sabates & Parsons, 2012; Von Stumm et al., 2013). The second chapter of this dissertation explores whether early basic skills also predict how satisfied individuals are with their lives in adulthood. Besides considering life satisfaction in general, the chapter examines in which life domains early basic skills predict individuals’ satisfaction in adulthood. Last, basic skills have an important role within the educational trajectory of students. In the Netherlands, for instance, which is the research context for most of this dissertation’s chapters, students are introduced to literacy and numeracy during kindergarten and begin formal lan3
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