Publication type
Research Paper
Series Number
98-10
Series
Working Papers of the ESRC Research Centre on Micro-Social Change
Author
Publication date
November 1, 1998
Abstract:
The estimation of econometric latent variable models of health has been hampered by the impracticability of existing 'Feasible' Generalised Least Squares methods for data of mixed scale types. This paper proposes a new FGLS estimator that can be implemented with smaller samples, enables more variables to be analysed, and yields asymptotically correct x2 goodness-of-fit statistics and standard errors. The new approach is applied to the estimation of health-investment equations for elderly men and women, using data from the 1991 and 1995 waves of the British Household Panel Survey. The results help to reconcile conflicting evidence from the economic and epidemiologic literatures on the link between poor health and low socioeconomic status at old age.
Subjects
Notes
working paper
#495358