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Are There Differences in the Health– Socio‐economic Status Relationship over the Life Cycle? Evidence from Germany

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  • Keith A. Bender
  • Steffen Habermalz

Abstract

. Most research on the relationship between health and socio‐economic status (SES) controls for age or investigates the relationship for a particular age range. This paper, however, examines the effect of SES on health across different age groups. Using data from the German Socio‐Economic Panel and controlling for health–SES endogeneity, we find that the health–income relationship does vary across the life cycle and between genders and different labor force status, with the impact of income on health relatively more pronounced for younger cohorts. The unemployed also have lower levels of health at all levels of income.

Suggested Citation

  • Keith A. Bender & Steffen Habermalz, 2008. "Are There Differences in the Health– Socio‐economic Status Relationship over the Life Cycle? Evidence from Germany," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 22(1), pages 107-125, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:labour:v:22:y:2008:i:1:p:107-125
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9914.2007.00400.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Eriksson, Tor & Bratsberg, Bernt & Raaum, Oddbjørn, 2005. "Earnings persistence across generations: Transmission through health?," Memorandum 35/2005, Oslo University, Department of Economics.
    2. Bender, Keith A. & Theodossiou, Ioannis, 2009. "Controlling for endogeneity in the health-socioeconomic status relationship of the near retired," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 977-987, December.
    3. Hostenkamp, Gisela & Stolpe, Michael, 2006. "The health gradient and early retirement: Evidence from the German Socio-economic Panel," Kiel Working Papers 1305, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    4. Ingwersen, Kai & Thomsen, Stephan L., 2020. "An Empirical Assessment of Workload and Migrants' Health in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 13962, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Sara Rellstab & Marco Pecoraro & Alberto Holly & Philippe Wanner & Karine Renard, 2016. "The Migrant Health Gap and the Role of Labour Market Status: Evidence from Switzerland," IRENE Working Papers 16-14, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I0 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J0 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Estimation: General

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