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The long-lasting effects of family background: A European cross-country comparison

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  • Mazzonna, Fabrizio

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

Abstract

This paper investigates how and to what extent disparities in family socio-economic status (SES) during childhood have long-lasting effects on old-age health, income and cognition. Further, it examines the variability of these effects across 13 European countries using the Survey on Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and SHARELIFE that collect retrospective information on respondents’ family backgrounds during their childhoods. The results confirm the crucial role of family SES during childhood in determining old-age outcomes and show large cross-country variability. Education seems to be the main channel for this gradient and explains most of the estimated cross-country differences. We argue that such a result can be explained with the different efforts of the European countries in promoting full time education.

Suggested Citation

  • Mazzonna, Fabrizio, 2011. "The long-lasting effects of family background: A European cross-country comparison," MEA discussion paper series 11245, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:mea:meawpa:11245
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J14 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of the Elderly; Economics of the Handicapped; Non-Labor Market Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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