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Mortality, Human Capital and Persistent Inequality

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Author Info
Shankha Chakraborty
Mausumi Das

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Abstract

Available evidence suggests high intergenerational correlation of economic status, and persistent disparities in health status between the rich and the poor. This paper proposes a novel mechanism linking the two. We introduce health human capital into a two-period overlapping generations model. Private health investment improves the probability of surviving from the first period of life to the next and, along with education, enhances an individual?s labor productivity. Poorer parents are of poor health, unable to invest much in reducing mortality risk and improving their human capital. Consequently, they leave less for their progeny. Despite convex preferences, technology and complete markets, initial differences in economic and health status may perpetuate across generations

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Paper provided by Econometric Society in its series Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings with number 100.

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Date of creation: 11 Aug 2004
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Handle: RePEc:ecm:nasm04:100

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Related research
Keywords: Life Expectancy; Health; Human Capital; Income Distribution;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Production
I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
O15 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Sambit Bhattacharyya, 2007. "Root Causes of African Underdevelopment," Working Papers in Economics and Development Studies (WoPEDS) 200704, Department of Economics, Padjadjaran University, revised Apr 2007. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Bhattacharya, Joydeep & Bunzel, Helle & Qiao, Xue, 2007. "UNSAFE SEX, AIDS, and DEVELOPMENT," Staff General Research Papers 12832, Iowa State University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Vassilis Tselios, 2007. "Education and income inequality in the regions of the European Union," Working Papers 2007-17, Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados (IMDEA) Ciencias Sociales. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. de la Croix, David & Licandro, Omar, 2007. "‘The Child is Father of the Man:’ Implications for the Demographic Transition," CEPR Discussion Papers 6493, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  5. Raouf, BOUCEKKINE, 2007. "A theory of dynamics and inequalities under epidemics," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2007022, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Osipian, Ararat, 2007. "Экономический Рост: Образование Как Фактор Производства
    [Economic Growth: Education as a Factor of Production]    ," MPRA Paper 7593, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  7. David, DE LA CROIX, 2008. "On the Golden Rule of capital accumulation under endogenous longevity," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2008032, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
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  8. Raouf Boucekkine & Raouf Boucekkine, 2006. "Medium term dynamics and inequalities under epidemics," Computing in Economics and Finance 2006 209, Society for Computational Economics. [Downloadable!]
  9. Michal Bauer & Julie Chytilová, 2007. "Does Education Matter in Patience Formation? Evidence from Ugandan Villages," Working Papers IES 2007/10, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Feb 2007. [Downloadable!]
  10. Radhika Lahiri & Elizabeth Richardson, 2008. "Public and Private Expenditures on Health in the Presence of Inequality and Endogenous Mortality: A Political Economy Perspective," School of Economics and Finance Discussion Papers and Working Papers Series 240, School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology, revised 15 Dec 2008. [Downloadable!]
  11. David, DE LA CROIX & Alessandro, SOMMACAL, 2006. "A Theory of Medecine Effectiveness, Differential Mortality, Income Inequality and Growth for Pre-Industrial England," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2006025, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
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  12. Raouf, BOUCEKKINE & Bity, DIENE & Theophile, AZOMAHOU, 2006. "The Growth economics of epidemics," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2006021, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
  13. Bhattacharya, Joydeep & Qiao, Xue, 2005. "Public and Private Expenditures on Health in a Growth Model," Staff General Research Papers 12378, Iowa State University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  14. Shankha Chakraborty & Mausumi Das, 2003. "Mortality, Fertility and Child Labor," University of Oregon Economics Department Working Papers 2003-35, University of Oregon Economics Department, revised 01 Dec 2003. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  15. David de la Croix & Omar Licandro, 2008. "The Child is Father of the Man: by Implications for the Demographic Transition," Working Papers 2008-04, FEDEA. [Downloadable!]
  16. Francesco Ricci & Marios Zachariadis, 2006. "Determinants of Public Health Outcomes: A Macroeconomic Perspective," DEGIT Conference Papers c011_045, DEGIT, Dynamics, Economic Growth, and International Trade. [Downloadable!]
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