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A closer look at the relationship between life expectancy and economic growth

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  • AZOMAHOU, Théophile T.
  • BOUCEKKINE, Raouf
  • DIENE, Bity

Abstract

We first provide a nonparametric inference of the relationship between life expectancy and economic growth on an historical data for 18 countries over the period 1820-2005. The obtained shape shows up convexity for low enough values of life expectancy and concavity for large enough values. We then study this relationship on a benchmark model combining perpetual youth" and learning-by-investing. In such a benchmark, the generated relationship between life expectancy and economic growth is shown to be strictly increasing and concave. We finally examine two models departing from perpetual youth" by assuming successively age-dependent earnings and age-dependent survival probabilities. With age-dependent earnings, the obtained relationship is hump-shaped while agedependent survival laws do reproduce the convex-concave shape detected in the prior empirical study.
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Suggested Citation

  • AZOMAHOU, Théophile T. & BOUCEKKINE, Raouf & DIENE, Bity, 2009. "A closer look at the relationship between life expectancy and economic growth," CORE Discussion Papers RP 2115, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    • Handle: RePEc:cor:louvrp:2115
    Note: In : International Journal of Economic Theory, 5, 201-244, 2009
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    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-7363.2009.00105.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Goenka, A. & Jafarey, S. & Pouliot, W., 2012. "Pollution, mortality and optimal environmental policy," Working Papers 12/07, Department of Economics, City University London.
    2. Augeraud-Véron, Emmanuelle & D'Albis, Hippolyte, 2009. "Continuous-Time Overlapping Generations Models," TSE Working Papers 09-047, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    3. Mathieu Lefèbvre & Pierre Pestieau & Gregory Ponthiere, 2019. "Premature mortality and poverty measurement in an OLG economy," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(2), pages 621-664, April.
    4. Ponthiere, Gregory, 2011. "Existence and stability of overconsumption equilibria," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 74-90.
    5. Growiec, Jakub, 2010. "Human Capital, Aggregation, And Growth," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(2), pages 189-211, April.
    6. Kuhn, Michael & Prettner, Klaus, 2016. "Growth and welfare effects of health care in knowledge-based economies," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 100-119.
    7. repec:bla:reviec:v:25:y:2017:i:1:p:44-75 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Hippolyte d'Albis & Emmanuelle Augeraud-Véron, 2013. "Frequency of trade and the determinacy of equilibrium in economies of overlapping generations," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 9(1), pages 85-100, March.
    9. Maik T. Schneider & Ralph Winkler, 2010. "Growth and Welfare under Endogenous Lifetime," Diskussionsschriften dp1013, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
    10. Maik T. Schneider & Ralph Winkler, 2010. "Growth and Welfare under Endogenous Lifetime," Diskussionsschriften dp1013, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
    11. Growiec, Jakub & Groth, Christian, 2015. "On aggregating human capital across heterogeneous cohorts," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 21-38.
    12. Wei-Bin Zhang, 2014. "Endogenous population with human and physical capital accumulation," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 61(3), pages 231-252, September.
    13. Luciano Fanti & Mimmo Iannelli & Piero Manfredi, 2013. "Neoclassical growth with endogenous age distribution. Poverty vs low-fertility traps as steady states of demographic transitions," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(4), pages 1457-1484, October.
    14. Katarzyna Growiec & Jakub Growiec & Bogumil Kaminski, 2018. "Social Network Dynamics: Individual-Level Mechanisms and Aggregate Outcomes," Working Papers 2018-036, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Economic Analysis.
    15. MAHYAR Hami, 2016. "Economic Growth And Life Expectancy: The Case Of Iran," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 11(1), pages 80-87, April.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J10 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - General

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