Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/232879 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 14127
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Does childhood health capital affect long-run labor market success? We address this question using inpatient hospital admission records linked to population census records. Sibling fixed effects estimates indicate that in comparison to their brothers, boys with health deficiencies were more likely to experience downward occupational mobility relative to their father's occupational rank. This decline in occupational success across generations can be decomposed into a lower likelihood of attaining white collar status and a higher likelihood of working in unskilled jobs, which translated into lower occupational wages on average. Evidence indicates that a lower school attendance rate and higher rates of disability in both childhood and adulthood are plausible mechanisms for our findings.
Subjects: 
childhood health capital
intergenerational inequality
occupational success
JEL: 
I14
J62
N33
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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