第170回「制度と組織の経済学」研究会 (共催：IPP研究会）

日時:　2025年7月18日（金）13:30 ～ 15:00
場所: 大阪大学豊中キャンパス国際公共政策研究科（OSIPP）棟 6階会議室
申込:　yuri-kitabayashi@iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp（東京大学中林研究室北林様宛)

Presenter:
田中隆一氏（東京大学社会科学研究所）

Title: “Less Pressure, Happier Minds: The Mental Health Impact of Relaxation-Oriented Education“
(Yu Bai, Yanjun Li, Xinyan Liu, and Ryuichi Tanaka)

This paper investigates the impact of a relaxation-oriented educational policy on the mental health of children and young adults. Exploiting Japan’s 2002 curriculum reform as an exogenous policy shock, we apply a difference-in-differences estimation strategy to examine how reduced instruction time affects student well-being. Our findings indicate that individuals exposed to more years of relaxed education experienced improved overall mental health outcomes. Mechanism analysis suggests that the mental health benefits stem from reductions in study hours and increased time for leisure and restorative activities. However, these effects are short-lived and tend to diminish as students progress into more competitive educational and labor market stages. The results highlight a potential health-wealth tradeoff, underscoring the need for carefully calibrated education reforms that balance short-term psychological relief with long-term academic and economic outcomes. Abstract：田中隆一