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Self-reported Work Disability in the US and The Netherlands

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  • Arie Kapteyn
  • James P. Smith
  • Arthur Van Soest

Abstract

Self-reported work disability is analyzed in the US and The Netherlands. The raw data show that Dutch respondents much more often report that they have a work limiting health problem than respondents in the US. The difference remains when controlling for demographic characteristics and observed onsets of health problems. Respondent evaluations of work limitations of hypothetical persons described in vignettes are used to identify the extent to which the differences in self-reports between countries or socio-economic groups are due to systematic variation in the response scales. A model that assumes the same response scales for different health domains is compared with a model that allows for domain specific response scales. Results of both models suggest that about half of the difference between the self-reported rates of work disability in the US and The Netherlands can be explained by response scale differences.

Suggested Citation

  • Arie Kapteyn & James P. Smith & Arthur Van Soest, 2004. "Self-reported Work Disability in the US and The Netherlands," Working Papers WR-206, RAND Corporation.
    • Handle: RePEc:ran:wpaper:wr-206
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. James P. Smith, 2009. "The Impact of Childhood Health on Adult Labor Market Outcomes," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 91(3), pages 478-489, August.
    2. James P. Smith, 2009. "The Impact of Childhood Health on Adult Labor Market Outcomes," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, pages 478-489.
    3. Giovanis, Eleftherios & Ozdamar, Oznur, 2014. "The effects of Air Pollution on Health Status in Great Britain," MPRA Paper 59988, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Kapteyn, Arie & Smith, James P. & van Soest, Arthur, 2009. "Life Satisfaction," IZA Discussion Papers 4015, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Arthur Van Soest & Liam Delaney & Colm Harmon & Arie Kapteyn & James P. Smith, 2007. "Validating the Use of Vignettes for Subjective Threshold Scales," Working Papers 200714, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    6. Arie Kapteyn & James P. Smith & Arthur van Soest, 2009. "Work Disability, Work, and Justification Bias in Europe and the U.S," NBER Working Papers 15245, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. James Banks & Michael Marmot & Zoe Oldfield & James P. Smith, 2009. "The SES Health Gradient on Both Sides of the Atlantic," NBER Chapters, in: Developments in the Economics of Aging, pages 359-406, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. James Banks & Arie Kapteyn & James P. Smith & Arthur van Soest, 2009. "Work Disability is a Pain in the ****, Especially in England, the Netherlands, and the United States," NBER Chapters, in: Health at Older Ages: The Causes and Consequences of Declining Disability among the Elderly, pages 251-293, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2011. "Health and disability insurance," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 44(4), pages 349-362.
    10. Brent Kreider & John Pepper, 2008. "Inferring disability status from corrupt data," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 329-349.
    11. Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2011. "Health and disability insurance," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 44(4), pages 349-362.
    12. Liam Delaney & Arie Kapteyn & James P Smith, 2008. "Why do some Irish drink so much?," Working Papers 200809, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    13. Johnston, David W. & Propper, Carol & Shields, Michael A., 2009. "Comparing subjective and objective measures of health: Evidence from hypertension for the income/health gradient," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 540-552, May.
    14. Teresa Bago d'Uva & Eddy Van Doorslaer & Maarten Lindeboom & Owen O'Donnell, 2008. "Does reporting heterogeneity bias the measurement of health disparities?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(3), pages 351-375, March.
    15. James Smith, 2009. "Reconstructing childhood health histories," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), pages 387-403.
    16. Axel Börsch-Supan, 2010. "Work Disability: The Effects of Demography, Health, and Disability Insurance," NBER Chapters, in: Research Findings in the Economics of Aging, pages 37-58, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2007. "Work Disability, Health, and Incentive Effects," MEA discussion paper series 07135, Munich Center for the Economics of Aging (MEA) at the Max Planck Institute for Social Law and Social Policy.
    18. Börsch-Supan, Axel, 2007. "Work disability, health, and incentive effects," Papers 07-23, Sonderforschungsbreich 504.
    19. James Smith, 2007. "Diabetes and the Rise of the SES Health Gradient," NBER Working Papers 12905, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    work limiting disability; vignettes; reporting bias;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Methodology for Collecting, Estimating, and Organizing Microeconomic Data; Data Access

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