Reciprocal and prosocial tendencies cultivated by childhood school experiences: School uniforms and the related economic and political factors in Japan

Abstract This paper estimates the effects of childhood experiences of wearing school uniforms at public elementary schools in Japan on individual preferences in relation to others (hereafter, other-regarding preferences) in adulthood. The school uniform experience can be endogenous if the preferences and characteristics of the school and parents are included in the decision of schools to implement school uniforms. To examine the causal effect of school uniforms, we exploit the exogenous variation in the expansion of the apparel industry across regions, which the Japanese government used as a catalyst in stimulating the economy, as well as the regional variations in prefectural governors’ initiatives for enhancing regional profitability. We find that that the experience of school uniforms increases reciprocal inclinations and inequity aversion (prosocial) tendencies. We discuss the reasons behind the consequences of school uniform policies on students’ other-regarding preferences later in life, with a focus on an individual’s perception of similarity with others shaped during childhood.