Revisiting the Effect of Education on Later Life Health

31 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2022

See all articles by Avinash Moorthy

Avinash Moorthy

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS)

Theodore F. Figinski

Government of the United States of America - Department of the Treasury

Alicia Lloro

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Date Written: February 1, 2022

Abstract

We provide new evidence on the effect of education on later life health. Using variation in state compulsory schooling laws, we examine education's effect on a range of outcomes encompassing physical health, decision-making, and life expectancy. We employ under-utilized Health and Retirement Study data linked to restricted geographic identifiers, allowing us to match individuals more accurately to compulsory schooling laws. While positively related to educational attainment, compulsory schooling laws have no significant effect on later life health outcomes. Our results suggest that increased educational attainment has no significant causal effect on health.

Keywords: Compulsory school attendance laws, Returns to education, Human capital, Health, Education policy

JEL Classification: H75, I12, I26, I28, J24

Suggested Citation

Moorthy, Avinash and Figinski, Ted and Lloro, Alicia, Revisiting the Effect of Education on Later Life Health (February 1, 2022). FEDS Working Paper No. 2022-7, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4044234 or http://dx.doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2022.007

Avinash Moorthy

Harvard University - Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) ( email )

79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Ted Figinski (Contact Author)

Government of the United States of America - Department of the Treasury ( email )

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20220
United States

Alicia Lloro

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System ( email )

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States

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