The smoking wage penality in the United Kingdom: Regression and matching evidence from the British Household Survey Panel
This paper considers the impact of tobacco consumption on wages in the UK using data from fifteen waves of the British Household Panel Survey. Considering both overall smoker status as well as the number of cigarettes consumed, we provide estimates for the smoking wage penalty using standard regression methods, including panel estimators for fixed eects and panel instrumental variable estimators. Furthermore, we analyse the impact of stopping and starting to smoke relative to permanent smokers and non-smokers by Mahalanobis-matching. In the cross-section, we find a rather large wage penalty for smokers of about 4%. However, panel estimator and IV results show relatively few support for hypotheses linking the smoking wage penalty to either lower productivity of smokers, be it health related or not, or discrimination. Matching results suggest that starting or stopping to smoke does not aect later earnings relative to remaining either smoker or non-smoker.
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| Length: | 33 pages |
| Date of creation: | Aug 2008 |
| Date of revision: | |
| Handle: | RePEc:lue:wpaper:96 |
| Contact details of provider: | Web page: http://leuphana.de/institute/ivwl.html
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References listed on IDEAS
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- Silke Anger & Michael Kvasnicka, 2006.
"Biases in Estimates of the Smoking Wage Penalty,"
Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin
654, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
- Silke Anger & Michael Kvasnicka, 2006. "Biases in Estimates of the Smoking Wage Penalty," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-089, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
- M. Christopher Auld, 2005. "Smoking, Drinking, and Income," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 40(2).
- Gary S. Becker & Michael Grossman & Kevin M. Murphy, 1990.
"An Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Addiction,"
University of Chicago - George G. Stigler Center for Study of Economy and State
61, Chicago - Center for Study of Economy and State.
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- Gary S. Becker & Michael Grossman & Kevin M. Murphy, 1990. "An Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Addiction," NBER Working Papers 3322, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
- Bush, Robert & Wooden, Mark, 1995. "Smoking and absence from work: Australian evidence," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 437-446, August.
- Gary S. Becker & Kevin M. Murphy, 1986.
"A Theory of Rational Addiction,"
University of Chicago - George G. Stigler Center for Study of Economy and State
41, Chicago - Center for Study of Economy and State.
- Becker, Gary S & Murphy, Kevin M, 1988. "A Theory of Rational Addiction," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 96(4), pages 675-700, August.
- Heineck, Guido & Schwarze, Johannes, 2003. "Substance Use and Earnings: The Case of Smokers in Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 743, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
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