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on Demographic Economics |
| By: | Daysal, N. Meltem (University of Copenhagen); Ding, Hui (affiliation not available); Rossin-Slater, Maya (Stanford University); Schwandt, Hannes (Northwestern University) |
| Abstract: | Preschool-aged children get sick frequently and spread disease to other family members. Despite the universality of this experience, there is limited causal evidence on the magnitudes and consequences of these externalities, especially for infant siblings with developing immune systems and brains. We use Danish administrative data to document that, before age one, younger siblings have 2-3 times higher hospitalization rates for respiratory conditions than older siblings. We combine birth order and within-municipality variation in respiratory disease prevalence among young children, and find lasting differential impacts of early-life respiratory disease exposure on younger siblings’ earnings, educational attainment, chronic respiratory health and mental health-related outcomes. |
| JEL: | I12 I18 J12 J13 |
| Date: | 2025–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18078 |
| By: | Reynolds, Nicholas (University of Essex) |
| Abstract: | The secular trend of growth in height suddenly slowed for Americans born after the middle of the 20th century, and the health and human capital of these cohorts as adults appears to have declined, or at least stagnated, more broadly. This paper presents evidence that the physical growth of these unhealthy cohorts was particularly stunted during adolescence. Using data from NHANES and its predecessors, I show that males born in the 1960s were the same height in childhood as those born a decade earlier, but then fell behind and were half an inch shorter in adolescence. By adulthood, the heights of the two cohorts were nearly identical. This suggests that males born in the 1960s had a later or smaller adolescent growth spurt than those born a decade earlier. Similar patterns are not evident in the height of females; however, females born in the 1960s experienced menarche later than those born a decade earlier. The delayed puberty of cohorts born in the 1960s appears to be a short-term blip in a long-run trend towards earlier puberty. The findings strongly suggest that something had already gone wrong by at least adolescence for American cohorts born after mid-century. |
| Keywords: | height, health, human capital, cohorts, early-life |
| JEL: | I14 J13 N32 |
| Date: | 2025–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18046 |
| By: | Uçan, Şeytanoğlu; Al-Azm, Jahim; Xīng, Yāo; Shah, Seytan |
| Abstract: | This literature review examines the interconnection between life expectancy, labor market dynamics, and macroeconomic development using insights from 30 empirical studies. It highlights how improvements in population health drive labor force participation, productivity, and economic growth, while labor market structures and institutional settings mediate these effects. Econometric methodologies such as fixed effects, instrumental variables, and quasi-experimental designs are critically assessed for their capacity to capture causality and long-term dynamics. The review emphasizes the policy relevance of integrating health and labor strategies, particularly in low-income and transitional economies—where informal employment and health disparities persist. Findings advocate for cross-sectoral approaches that treat health as economic infrastructure and labor policy as a key determinant of long-term national development. |
| Keywords: | Life expectancy, Labor market, Econometric analysis |
| JEL: | E0 |
| Date: | 2024–10–17 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:125355 |