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Wage Growth, Human Capital and Risk Preference: Evidence From The British Household Panel Survey

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Author Info
Sarah Brown
Karl Talyor ()

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore how interpersonal variation in risk preference affects human capital investment and, hence, wage growth. To date, there has been a distinct lack of empirical research in this area despite the fact that the risk preference of individuals plays a key role in the theoretical models of human capital accumulation. We investigate the link between risk preference, human capital investment and wage growth using data from four waves of the British Household Panel Survey using a measure of the extent of risky financial assets held by individuals as a proxy for risk preference. We exploit panel data enabling us to determine the change in real wages experienced by individuals across three different time horizons, 1995-96, 1995-98 and 1995-2000. Our empirical specification is derived from a theoretical framework, which explicitly allows the risk preferences of individuals to influence human capital accumulation and, consequently, wage growth. Our findings suggest that risk-loving behaviour impacts positively on the returns to human capital investment thereby enhancing wage growth.

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Paper provided by Department of Economics, University of Leicester in its series Discussion Papers in Economics with number 02/14.

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Date of creation: Dec 2002
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Handle: RePEc:lec:leecon:02/14

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Related research
Keywords: Human capital; Risk Aversion; Wage Growth;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General

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  1. Guiso, Luigi & Jappelli, Tullio & Terlizzese, Daniele, 1996. "Income Risk, Borrowing Constraints, and Portfolio Choice," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 86(1), pages 158-72, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Hartog, Joop & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, Ada & Jonker, Nicole, 2002. "Linking Measured Risk Aversion to Individual Characteristics," Kyklos, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 55(1), pages 3-26.
  3. Robson, Arthur J., 1996. "The Evolution of Attitudes to Risk: Lottery Tickets and Relative Wealth," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 190-207, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Martin Gaynor & Paul Gertler, 1995. "Moral Hazard and Risk Spreading in Partnerships," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 26(4), pages 591-613, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  5. Hayashi, Fumio & Altonji, Joseph & Kotlikoff, Laurence, 1996. "Risk-Sharing between and within Families," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(2), pages 261-94, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Friend, Irwin & Blume, Marshall E, 1975. "The Demand for Risky Assets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 65(5), pages 900-922, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Caroli, Eve & Garcia-Penalosa, Cecilia, 2002. "Risk aversion and rising wage inequality," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 77(1), pages 21-26, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Levhari, David & Weiss, Yoram, 1974. "The Effect of Risk on the Investment in Human Capital," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 64(6), pages 950-63, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Haliassos, Michael & Bertaut, Carol C, 1995. "Why Do So Few Hold Stocks?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 105(432), pages 1110-29, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Johnson, William R, 1978. "A Theory of Job Shopping," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 92(2), pages 261-78, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Brown, James N & Rosen, Harvey S, 1987. "Taxation, Wage Variation, and Job Choice," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 5(4), pages 430-51, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Hersch, Joni & Pickton, Todd S, 1995. "Risk-Taking Activities and Heterogeneity of Job-Risk Tradeoffs," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 11(3), pages 205-17, December.
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