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Are Objective, Official Measures of Disability Reliable?

Author

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  • Johansson, Per

    (Institute for Labour Market Policy Evaluation (IFAU))

  • Skedinger, Per

    (The Research Institute of Industrial Economics)

Abstract

The issue considered in this study is whether objective, official reports on disability status are reliable. While there is a rather large literature on the reliability of self-reported disability, evidence regarding objective data is scant. It seems to be a widely held view among researchers that, since individuals out of work are inclined to respond towards poor health, it would be best to have official data provided by the relevant administrative bodies. But we argue that such administrative data should be regarded with some suspicion, since the administrators also may have incentives to misreport. The empirical evidence, based on a large sample of Swedish jobseekers, suggests systematic misreporting by the Public Employment Service of objective, official disability measures due to incentives to exaggerate disability.

Suggested Citation

  • Johansson, Per & Skedinger, Per, 2005. "Are Objective, Official Measures of Disability Reliable?," Working Paper Series 643, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:iuiwop:0643
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    Cited by:

    1. Per Johansson & Per Skedinger, 2009. "Misreporting in register data on disability status: evidence from the Swedish Public Employment Service," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 411-434, October.
    2. Gannon, Brenda, 2006. "Disability Benefit - Controlled or Under-Controlled?," Papers BP2007/1, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    3. Hägglund, Pathric, 2006. "Are there pre-programme effects of Swedish active labour market policies? Evidence from three randomised experiments," Working Paper Series 2006:2, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    4. repec:esr:chaptr:jacb200665 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Work Disability; Classification Error; Public Employment Service;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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