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The Effect of Education on Mortality and Health: Evidence from a Schooling Expansion in Romania

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  • Ofer Malamud
  • Andreea Mitrut
  • Cristian Pop-Eleches

Abstract

This work examines a schooling expansion in Romania that increased educational attainment for successive cohorts born between 1945 and 1950. We use a difference-in-regression discontinuities (D-RD) design based on school entry cutoff dates to estimate impacts on mortality using 1994–2016 Vital Statistics data, self-reported health in the 2011 Romanian Census, and hospitalizations from 1997–2017 in-patient registers. We find that the schooling reform led to significant increases in years of schooling but did not affect mortality, hospitalizations, or self-reported health. These estimates provide new evidence for the causal effect of education on mortality and health outside of high-income countries and at lower margins of educational attainment.

Suggested Citation

  • Ofer Malamud & Andreea Mitrut & Cristian Pop-Eleches, 2023. "The Effect of Education on Mortality and Health: Evidence from a Schooling Expansion in Romania," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 58(2), pages 561-592.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwp:jhriss:v:58:y:2023:i:2:p:561-592
    Note: DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.58.4.1118-9863R2
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    Cited by:

    1. Anna Bindler & Randi Hjalmarsson & Nadine Ketel & Andreea Mitrut, 2023. "Discontinuities in the Age-Victimisation Profile and the Determinants of Victimisation," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(657), pages 95-134.
    2. Albarrán, Pedro & Hidalgo-Hidalgo, Marisa & Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Iñigo, 2020. "Education and adult health: Is there a causal effect?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    3. Masuda, Kazuya & Shigeoka, Hitoshi, 2023. "Education and Later-life Mortality: Evidence from a School Reform in Japan," CINCH Working Paper Series (since 2020) 78763, Duisburg-Essen University Library, DuEPublico.
    4. Richard Akresh & Daniel Halim & Marieke Kleemans, 2023. "Long-Term and Intergenerational Effects of Education: Evidence from School Construction in Indonesia," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(650), pages 582-612.
    5. 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).
    6. Elisabeth Artmann & Hessel Oosterbeek & Bas van der Klaauw, 2022. "Do Doctors Improve the Health Care of Their Parents? Evidence from Admission Lotteries," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 164-184, July.
    7. Ciprian Domnisoru, 2021. "Heterogeneity across Families in the Impact of Compulsory Schooling Laws," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 88(350), pages 399-429, April.
    8. Hofmarcher, Thomas, 2021. "The effect of education on poverty: A European perspective," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    9. Issidor Noumba & Quentin Lebrun Nzouessah Feunke, 2020. "Parental Education, Household Health, and Household Standard of Living: Evidence from Rural Cameroon," International Business Research, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(7), pages 113-113, July.

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    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • I26 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Returns to Education

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