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Effects of education on cognition at older ages: Evidence from China's Great Famine

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  • Huang, Wei
  • Zhou, Yi

Abstract

This paper explores whether educational attainment has a cognitive reserve capacity in elder life. Using pilot data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we examined the impact of education on cognitive abilities at old ages. OLS results showed that respondents who completed primary school obtained 18.2 percent higher scores on cognitive tests than those who did not. We then constructed an instrumental variable (IV) by leveraging China's Great Famine of 1959–1961 as a natural experiment to estimate the causal effect of education on cognition. Two-stage least squares (2SLS) results provided sound evidence that completing primary school significantly increases cognition scores, especially in episode memory, by almost 20 percent on average. Moreover, Regression Discontinuity (RD) analysis provides further evidence for the causal interpretation, and shows that the effects are different for the different measures of cognition we explored. Our results also show that the Great Famine can result in long-term health consequences through the pathway of losing educational opportunities other than through the pathway of nutrition deprivation.

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  • Huang, Wei & Zhou, Yi, 2013. "Effects of education on cognition at older ages: Evidence from China's Great Famine," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 54-62.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:98:y:2013:i:c:p:54-62
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2013.08.021
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    6. Cui, Hanxiao & Smith, James P. & Zhao, Yaohui, 2020. "Early-life deprivation and health outcomes in adulthood: Evidence from childhood hunger episodes of middle-aged and elderly Chinese," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    7. Cheng, Zhiming & Guo, Liwen & Smyth, Russell & Tani, Massimiliano, 2022. "Childhood adversity and energy poverty," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    8. Gorman, Emma, 2017. "Schooling, occupation and cognitive function: Evidence from compulsory schooling laws," SocArXiv t647a, Center for Open Science.
    9. Jiyuan Wang & Rob Alessie & Viola Angelini, 2023. "Exposure in utero to adverse events and health late‐in‐life: Evidence from China," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 541-557, March.
    10. Ting Yin & Junchao Zhang, 2022. "More Schooling, More Generous? Estimating the Effect of Education on Intergenerational Transfers†," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 36(1), pages 22-46, March.
    11. Nourin Shabnam & Mehmet A. Ulubaşoğlu & Cahit Guven, 2022. "Food Affordability and Double Catastrophe in Early Life: Lessons from the 1974–75 Bangladesh Famine," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 98(S1), pages 24-51, September.
    12. Skoblow, Hanamori F. & Proulx, Christine M. & Akpolat, Rahmet & Palermo, Francisco, 2024. "Early-life socioeconomic position and later-life cognitive functioning: A meta-analysis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 359(C).
    13. Shabnam, Nourin & Guven, Cahit & Ulubasoglu, Mehmet, 2021. "Lack of Food Access and Double Catastrophe in Early Life: Lessons from the 1974–1975 Bangladesh Famine," MPRA Paper 109653, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Ting YIN & Junchao ZHANG, 2017. "More Schooling, More Generous? Estimating the effect of education on intergenerational transfers," Discussion papers 17074, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    15. Collin F. Payne & Iliana V. Kohler & Chiwoza Bandawe & Kathy Lawler & Hans-Peter Kohler, 2018. "Cognition, Health, and Well-Being in a Rural Sub-Saharan African Population," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 34(4), pages 637-662, October.
    16. Cai, Shu & Li, Wei, 2024. "On the origin of cognition: How childhood conditions shape cognitive function in old age," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    17. Yingying Zhang & Steve Bradley & Robert Crouchley, 2023. "Gender Differences in the Effect of Retirement Duration on Cognitive Functioning," Working Papers 379420912, Lancaster University Management School, Economics Department.
    18. Cahit Guven & Trung Hoang & Muhammad H. Rahman & Mehmet A. Ulubaşoğlu, 2021. "Long‐term effects of malnutrition on early‐life famine survivors and their offspring: New evidence from the Great Vietnam Famine 1944–45," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(7), pages 1600-1627, July.

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