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The Effects of Education on Mortality: Evidence Using College Expansions

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  • Jason Fletcher
  • Hamid Noghanibehambari

Abstract

This paper explores the long-run health benefits of education for longevity. Using mortality data from the Social Security Administration (1988-2005) linked to geographic locations in the 1940-census data, we exploit changes in college availability across cohorts in local areas. We estimate an intent to treat effect of exposure to an additional 4-year college around age 17 of increasing longevity by 0.13 months; treatment on the treated calculations suggest increases in longevity between 1-1.6 years. Some further analyses suggest the results are not driven by pre-tends, endogenous migration, and other time-varying local confounders. This paper adds to the literature on the health and social benefits of education.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Fletcher & Hamid Noghanibehambari, 2021. "The Effects of Education on Mortality: Evidence Using College Expansions," NBER Working Papers 29423, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:29423
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    Cited by:

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    2. Goldstein, Joshua R. & Osborne, Maria & Atherwood, Serge & Breen, Casey, 2022. "Mortality Modeling of Partially Observed Cohorts Using Administrative Death Records," SocArXiv efdzh, Center for Open Science.
    3. Hao, Zedong & Wang, Yun, 2022. "Education signaling, effort investments, and the market's expectations: Theory and experiment on China's higher education expansion," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    4. Joshua R. Goldstein & Maria Osborne & Serge Atherwood & Casey F. Breen, 2023. "Mortality Modeling of Partially Observed Cohorts Using Administrative Death Records," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 42(3), pages 1-20, June.
    5. Noghanibehambari, Hamid & Tavassoli, Nahid, 2022. "An ounce of prevention, a pound of cure: The effects of college expansions on crime," International Review of Law and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    6. Adriana Lleras‐Muney, 2022. "Education and income gradients in longevity: The role of policy," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(1), pages 5-37, February.
    7. Masuda, Kazuya & Shigeoka, Hitoshi, 2023. "Education and Later-Life Mortality: Evidence from a School Reform in Japan," IZA Discussion Papers 16310, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Hamid Noghanibehambari & Farzaneh Noghani, 2023. "Long‐run intergenerational health benefits of women empowerment: Evidence from suffrage movements in the US," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(11), pages 2583-2631, November.
    9. Noghanibehambari, Hamid & Engelman, Michal, 2022. "Social insurance programs and later-life mortality: Evidence from new deal relief spending," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    10. Hamid Noghanibehambari & Jason Fletcher, 2023. "Childhood exposure to birth registration laws and old‐age mortality," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 735-743, March.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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