Such studies have frequently been consulted for policy making (Lazzari and Vandenbroeck, 2013). North American longitudinal studies after targeted interventions have been influential in this regard, building a case for investing in the early years to boost cognitive and non-cognitive skills and success later in the labour market (Kautz et al., As Box 5.1 shows, Scotland (United Kingdom) is one of several OECD countries that have recently launched such longitudinal studies to inform both policy and practice.