Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Socioeconomic Status, Poor Health in Childhood, and Human Capital Development

Janet Currie ()

No 13987, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: There are many possible pathways between parental education, income, and health, and between child health and education, but only some of them have been explored in the literature. This essay focuses on links between parental socioeconomic status (as measured by education, income, occupation, or in some cases area of residence) and child health, and between child health and adult education or income. Specifically, I ask two questions: What is the evidence regarding whether parental socioeconomic status affects child health? And, what is the evidence relating child health to future educational and labor market outcomes? I show that there is now strong evidence of both links, suggesting that health could play a role in the intergenerational transmission of economic status.

JEL-codes: I12 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap, nep-hea, nep-hrm and nep-lab
Date: 2008-05
Note: CH HE LS PE
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Journal Article: Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: Socioeconomic Status, Poor Health in Childhood, and Human Capital Development (2009)
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