"Bad Apple" Peer Effects in Elementary Classrooms: the Case of Corporal Punishment in the Home

This paper provides the first empirical evidence on the existence of negative spillover effects from children exposed to corporal punishment in the home. We find that interactions with peers who suffer from physical punishment significantly depress achievement in both math and language among Vietnamese fifth graders. These adverse impacts are transmitted through the reduction of academic expectation and the increased incidence of physical bullies at school in the presence of more corporal-punishment-inflicted peers. Our results offer meaningful implications for both education and social policies.