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An IPW estimator for mediation effects in hazard models: with an application to schooling, cognitive ability and mortality

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  • Govert E. Bijwaard

    (Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI-KNAW/University of Groningen))

  • Andrew M. Jones

    (University of York)

Abstract

Large differences in mortality rates across those with different levels of education are a well-established fact. Cognitive ability may be affected by education so that it becomes a mediating factor in the causal chain. In this paper, we estimate the impact of education on mortality using inverse-probability-weighted (IPW) estimators. We develop an IPW estimator to analyse the mediating effect in the context of survival models. Our estimates are based on administrative data, on men born between 1944 and 1947 who were examined for military service in the Netherlands between 1961 and 1965, linked to national death records. For these men, we distinguish four education levels and we make pairwise comparisons. The results show that levels of education have hardly any impact on the mortality rate. Using the mediation method, we only find a significant effect of education on mortality running through cognitive ability, for the lowest education group that amounts to a 15% reduction in the mortality rate. For the highest education group, we find a significant effect of education on mortality through other pathways of 12%.

Suggested Citation

  • Govert E. Bijwaard & Andrew M. Jones, 2019. "An IPW estimator for mediation effects in hazard models: with an application to schooling, cognitive ability and mortality," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 129-175, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:57:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1007_s00181-018-1432-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-018-1432-9
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Huber & Mark Schelker & Anthony Strittmatter, 2022. "Direct and Indirect Effects based on Changes-in-Changes," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 432-443, January.
    2. Bijwaard, Govert, 2021. "Educational Differences in Mortality and Hospitalisation for Cardiovascular Diseases for Males," IZA Discussion Papers 14507, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Bijwaard, Govert E., 2022. "Educational differences in mortality and hospitalisation for cardiovascular diseases," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Viviana Celli, 2022. "Causal mediation analysis in economics: Objectives, assumptions, models," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(1), pages 214-234, February.
    5. Schmidpeter, Bernhard, 2019. "Does stress shorten your life? Evidence from parental bereavement," Ruhr Economic Papers 834, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    6. Bijwaard, G.E.; & Jones, A.M.;, 2019. "Education and life-expectancy and how the relationship is mediated through changes in behaviour: a principal stratification approach for hazard rates," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 19/05, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Education; Mortality; Inverse probability weighting; Mediators; Mixed proportional hazard;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C41 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics - - - Duration Analysis; Optimal Timing Strategies
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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