Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/145149 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 10015
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Contrary to previous findings, we find a systematic and economically sizeable relationship between income levels and life expectancy in a panel dataset of 197 countries over 213 years. By itself, GDP/capita explains more than 64 percent of the variation in life expectancy. The Preston curve prevails, even when accounting for country- and time-fixed effects, country-specific time trends, and alternative control variables. Quantile regressions and instrumental variable estimations suggest this link to be persistent across different levels of life expectancy and unaffected by reverse causality. If policymakers want to prolong people's lives, economic growth appears to be the predominant medicine.
Subjects: 
historical panel data
income levels
life expectancy
quantile regression analysis
JEL: 
I15
I31
J11
H51
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
3.87 MB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.