Abstract
The literature on the effects of education on health has focused almost exclusively on mean impacts. In this paper we investigate whether education has heterogeneous effects on health, focusing on heterogeneity across the distribution of health. To overcome the endogeneity of education we exploit a natural experiment, the Raising of School Leaving Age Order of 1972 (ROSLA) which increased the minimum school-leaving age from 15 to 16 years in England, Wales and Scotland. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find that the ROSLA affected anthropometrics, spirometry and blood pressure 40 years later. Importantly, the effects vary across different dimensions of health and along the distribution of health within these dimensions. Changes in labor market outcomes and SES are mechanisms driving our main findings. Taken together our results point to the importance of considering different dimensions of health and of moving beyond the analysis of mean impacts.
Presented by:
Silvia Barcellos, USC
Date & time:
February 1, 2017 1:00 pm - February 1, 2017 2:00 pm
Venue:
2N2.4.16 ISER Seminar Room
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