• We exploit quasi-random differences in regional media access in West Germany. • There is credible evidence for a positive effect of TV on the well-being of adults. • Rich survey data from various sources reveal the behavioral responses to TV access. • Negative correlations between TV and well-being are likely driven by self-selection. • We discuss a variety of relevant implications from the perspective of public policy. While watching television is one of the most time-consuming human activities, its potential negative effects on well-being are discussed in the literature as a prime example of irrational behavior. We are the first to comprehensively address this possible paradox by exploiting a novel setting in the research on the effects of television for society: a natural experiment in the late 1980s where people in a few geographically restricted areas of West Germany received commercial TV via terrestrial frequencies. Rich panel data combined with precisely calculated frequency signals allow us to determine how regional availability of commercial TV affects time-use, before investigating the implications for individual well-being over time. Contrary to previous research, we find no evidence of negative health impacts when TV consumption increases. For life satisfaction, we even find a positive effect, which is robust across various sensitivity analyses and subgroups of TV viewers. By also considering evidence from expenditure data and from our own separately conducted surveys, we discuss the external validity of our findings as well as possible mechanisms and conclude that correlational evidence on the well-being effects of TV viewing could be driven by negative self-selection.

Approximately 75% of children aged 2 to 4 worldwide are regularly subjected to violent discipline. We study the impact of a digitally delivered intervention on positive parenting practices in Jamaica using a randomized controlled trial. Results show that the intervention improves caregiver knowledge (0.52 SD), attitudes toward violence (0.2 SD), and reduces caregiver violence against children (0.12 SD). Treatment children experience fewer emotional problems (0.17 SD). We also find reductions in caregiver depression (0.12 SD), anxiety (0.16 SD), and parental stress (0.16 SD) for treatment caregivers nine months later. The digital delivery has important scalable policy implications that could help decrease violence against children worldwide. • RCT of a digitally delivered intervention on non-violent parenting in Jamaica. • Content was delivered through SMS, an app, and online group parenting sessions. • Document ITT improvements in caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. • Findings show reductions in caregiver depression, anxiety, and stress nine months later. • Scalable policy implications could help decrease violence against children worldwide.

Mississippi’s 1920 school finance equalization program failed to benefit many of the state’s Black students—an outcome emblematic of broader patterns in the segregated U.S. South Bond (1934) . In majority-Black districts, local officials disproportionately allocated funds from the state’s existing per capita fund to white schools. These elevated expenditures on white students rendered such districts ineligible for equalization aid, excluding Black students from its intended benefits. While Black students in majority-white districts experienced improvements in school spending and standards, those in majority-Black districts continued to endure extremely low—in some cases declining—levels of school funding. Exploiting variation in school spending induced by this so-called equalization policy, we document a tragedy in racist public policy. We estimate large positive marginal effects of local educational spending on Black students’ enrollment rates, educational attainment, and lifetime earnings. In contrast, estimated impacts of marginal spending on white students are minimal. A reallocation of funding toward Black students might have substantially improved their well-being at little cost to white students.