Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Apr;33(2):116-124.
doi: 10.1002/cbm.2278. Epub 2023 Feb 12.

The social and economic impact of the Montreal Longitudinal and Experimental Study

Adam Vanzella-Yang  1 , Yann Algan  2 , Elizabeth Beasley  3 , Sylvana Côté  1 , Frank Vitaro  1 , Richard E Tremblay  1 , Jungwee Park  4
Affiliations
Review

The social and economic impact of the Montreal Longitudinal and Experimental Study

Adam Vanzella-Yang et al. Crim Behav Ment Health. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Background: The effectiveness of early prevention programmes and their viability as a public policy option have increasingly caught the attention of scholars and policymakers. Given the implementation costs of such programmes, it is important to assess whether they achieved anticipated objectives and whether they made efficient use of taxpayer money.

Aim: To discuss the social and economic impact of a 2-year randomised intervention aimed to improve social skills and self-control (i.e., non-cognitive skills) among disruptive boys from low-income neighbourhoods in Montreal.

Method: We review findings from published studies documenting the impact of the intervention at different stages of the life course, as well as its cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit.

Results: The intervention improved behavioural indicators throughout adolescence and eventually led to greater high school graduation rates, reduced crime, and better labour market outcomes in adulthood. Importantly, the prevention programme generated considerable returns to taxpayer investments.

Conclusion: Findings from the Montreal Longitudinal Experimental Study have been well-received and have contributed to an early prevention 'awakening' in Quebec and elsewhere.

Keywords: Montreal; cost-benefit; early prevention; non-cognitive skills; randomised experiment.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Algan, Y., Beasley, E., Côté, S., Park, J., Tremblay, R. E., & Vitaro, F. (2022). The impact of childhood social skills and self-control training on economic and noneconomic outcomes: Evidence from a randomized experiment using administrative data. The American Economic Review, 112(8), 2553-2579. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20200224
    1. Boisjoli, R., Vitaro, F., Lacourse, É., Barker, E. D., & Tremblay, R. E. (2007). Impact and clinical significance of a preventive intervention for disruptive boys: 15-year follow-up. British Journal of Psychiatry, 191(5), 415-419. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.106.030007
    1. Bouchery, E. E., Harwood, H. J., Sacks, J. J., Simon, C. J., & Brewer, R. D. (2011). Economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in the U.S., 2006. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41(5), 516-524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2011.06.045
    1. Canada Department of Justice. (2008). Costs of Crime in Canada, 2008. http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/crime/rr10_5/a.html
    1. Castellanos-Ryan, N., Séguin, J. R., Vitaro, F., Parent, S., & Tremblay, R. E. (2013). Impact of a 2-year multimodal intervention for disruptive 6-year-olds on substance use in adolescence: Randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Psychiatry, 203(3), 188-195. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.112.123182

LinkOut - more resources