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The effect of compulsory schooling on health - evidence from biomarkers

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  • Jürges, Hendrik

    () (Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA))

Abstract

Using data from the Health Survey for England and the English Longitudinal Study on Ageing, we estimate the causal effect of schooling on health. Identification comes from two nation wide increases in British compulsory school leaving age in 1947 and 1973, respectively. Our study complements earlier studies exploiting compulsory schooling laws as source of exogenous variation in schooling by using biomarkers as measures of health outcomes in addition to self-reported measures. We find a strong positive correlation between education and health, both self-rated and measured by blood fibrinogen and C-reactive protein levels. However, we find ambiguous causal effects of schooling on women's self-rated health and insignificant causal effects of schooling on men's self-rated health and biomarker levels in both sexes.

Suggested Citation

  • Jürges, Hendrik, 2009. "The effect of compulsory schooling on health - evidence from biomarkers," MEA discussion paper series 09183, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:mea:meawpa:09183
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health; Compulsory schooling; Biomarkers; Regression discontinuity;

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General

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