Childhood Health and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman Childhood Health and Human Capital: University of California - Davis New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Introduction Arms Childhood Health and Human Capital Data and Methodology John Parman Height and Disease University of California - Davis Environment Height and Educational Attainment Conclusions February 9, 2011
Childhood Health Motivation and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman ◮ Childhood health can have significant effects on human University of California - Davis capital formation. Introduction ◮ By influencing educational investment, even short term Childhood Health health shocks can have long term consequences. and Human Capital ◮ The improvements in childhood health in the early 20th Data and Methodology century may have driven growth of the human capital Height and Disease stock. Environment Height and ◮ This paper uses unique early 20th century sibling data Educational Attainment to demonstrate that poor childhood health led to poor Conclusions educational attainment outcomes both across and within households.
Childhood Health Brief Overview of Paper and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic ◮ World War II enlistment records are linked to the federal Brothers in Arms John Parman census and brothers are matched together to create a University of micro-level panel dataset with health, education and California - Davis household characteristics for each individual. Introduction Childhood Health ◮ These data reveal that trends in educational attainment and Human Capital over time closely tracked trends in average height for all Data and regions of the United States. Methodology Height and Disease ◮ Differences in average height and educational Environment attainment were highly correlated with differences in Height and Educational childhood disease environment across cities and states. Attainment Conclusions ◮ Differences in heights between brothers predict substantial differences in educational attainment: one inch of height lost due to disease leads to as much as half a year less schooling.
Childhood Health Health and Human Capital Over the 20th and Human Capital: Century New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms 80 John Parman University of 90 California - Davis 70 Introduction Life expectancy (years) 80 Childhood Health Enrollment rate and Human Capital 60 70 Data and Methodology Height and Disease 50 60 Environment Height and Educational 50 Attainment 40 Conclusions 1850 1900 1950 2000 Year Enrollment rate Life expectancy (years) US school enrollment rates and life expectancy, 1850-1998
Childhood Health Health and Human Capital Over the 20th and Human Capital: Century New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms 250 80 John Parman University of California - Davis 200 High school graduation rate Infant mortality (per 1,000) 60 Introduction Childhood Health 150 and Human Capital 40 Data and 100 Methodology Height and Disease 20 Environment 50 Height and Educational Attainment 0 0 Conclusions 1850 1900 1950 2000 Year High school graduation rate Infant mortality (per 1,000) US high school graduation rates and infant mortality rates, 1850-1998
Childhood Health Health and Human Capital Over the 20th and Human Capital: Century New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms 100 John Parman University of US - 1990 California - Davis Introduction 80 US - 1950 Childhood Health US - 1940 and Human Enrollment rate US - 1930 Capital US - 1920 60 Data and US - 1910 US - 1880 Methodology US - 1890 US - 1900 Height and Disease US - 1870 Environment 40 Height and Educational Attainment Conclusions 20 40 50 60 70 80 Life expectancy School enrollment rates and life expectancy by country for the year 2000 (blue points) and by decade for the US (red points)
Childhood Health Health and Human Capital Over the 20th and Human Capital: Century New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms 100 John Parman University of US - 1990 California - Davis Introduction 80 US - 1950 Childhood Health US - 1940 and Human Enrollment rate US - 1930 Capital US - 1920 Data and 60 US - 1910 US - 1880 Methodology US - 1890 Height and Disease US - 1900 US - 1870 Environment 40 Height and Educational Attainment Conclusions 20 0 50 100 150 200 250 Infant mortality rate School enrollment rates and infant mortality rates by country for the year 2000 (blue points) and by decade for the US (red points)
Childhood Health Previous Studies of Health and Human Capital and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms The modern relationship between health and education: John Parman University of ◮ Two common approaches to solving endogeneity California - Davis problem: twin/sibling studies and instrumenting for Introduction health using exogenous shocks Childhood Health and Human ◮ Twin/sibling studies: Behrman and Rosenzweig (2004), Capital Data and Royer (2005), Currie and Moretti (2007), Oreopoulos et Methodology al. (2006), Black, Devereux and Salvanes (2007) Height and Disease Environment ◮ Instrumenting for health: Almond, Edlund and Palme Height and (2007), Nilsson (2008) Educational Attainment ◮ Studies generally find positive correlations between Conclusions childhood health and cognitive ability, educational attainment, labor market outcomes
Childhood Health Previous Studies of Health and Human Capital and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman University of The historical relationship between health and education: California - Davis ◮ Sibling and twin studies haven’t been an option with Introduction historical data Childhood Health and Human Capital ◮ Alternative is to look for natural experiments typically Data and related to disease environment Methodology ◮ Bleakley (2007): hookworm eradication Height and Disease Environment ◮ Bleakley (2010), Lucas (2010): malaria eradication Height and Educational ◮ Almond (2006): outcomes of individuals in utero during Attainment Conclusions influenza pandemic
Childhood Health Empirical Approach and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman University of ◮ Use micro-level health and education data to apply California - Davis sibling study methods to historical data Introduction ◮ WWII enlistment records provide a source of education Childhood Health and Human and health information Capital Data and ◮ Linking enlistment records to census records allows for Methodology identification of brothers and provides information on Height and Disease Environment childhood household environment Height and ◮ Use differences in heights between brothers as a proxy Educational Attainment for differences in childhood health to assess effects of Conclusions health on educational attainment
Childhood Health World War II Enlistment Records and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman University of California - Davis Introduction Childhood Health and Human Capital Data and Methodology ◮ Roughly 9,000,000 records Height and Disease Environment ◮ Records include: name, birth date, year of enlistment, Height and birth state, county of residence, years of education, Educational Attainment civilian occupation, race, height, weight Conclusions ◮ Offers a (somewhat) nationally representative sample of males ◮ Ages of enlistees and years of enlistment lead to sizable number of observations for cohorts born between 1897 and 1923
Childhood Health Federal Census Records and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman University of California - Davis Introduction Childhood Health and Human Capital Data and Methodology Height and Disease Environment Height and ◮ Household and sibling data will come from the 1930 Educational Attainment federal census Conclusions ◮ For an enlistee, the census will provide birth order relative to all siblings and relative to brothers ◮ For the enlistee’s parents, the census will provide age, occupation, birthplace, value of house, and literacy
Childhood Health Constructing a Sample of Brothers and Human Capital: New Evidence from Genetic Brothers in Arms John Parman Step 1: Dropping enlistees with incomplete or University of California - Davis implausible data reported ◮ 1.5 million enlistees do not have state and county of Introduction Childhood Health residence information and Human Capital ◮ 200,000 enlistees do not report birth state Data and ◮ 2.6 million enlistees do not report height and weight Methodology Height and Disease information Environment ◮ 200,000 enlistees have heights and weights that Height and Educational correspond to an implausible body mass index Attainment (starvation or hyper-obesity) Conclusions ◮ This leaves roughly 4 million records
Recommend
More recommend
